- Driver puts parking attendant in coma after ticket
- Matthew Valerio will be sentenced next year
A young driver is awaiting his fate after violently crashing into a parking attendant just minutes after receiving a parking fine.
Matthew Valerio will be sentenced in February next year for recklessly causing grievous bodily harm and failing to stop and render assistance after a collision with a vehicle causing grievous bodily harm.
Just minutes after receiving a hefty fine for parking illegally on a residential street, the 22-year-old driver rammed into a 61-year-old ranger and a parked car before speeding away.
Valerio was captured on CCTV parking his white Mazda car in a restricted zone on Marian St in Enmore, western Sydney, just before 8pm on November 26.
Matthew Valerio admitted to crashing into a parking attendant just 90 seconds after receiving a parking ticket
You see him get out of the car with his passenger and stroll across the road.
About 40 minutes later, a parking attendant noticed that the unattended car was parked in the exclusion zone and issued a ticket.
According to the agreed facts, Valerio and his friend approached the vehicle and began yelling at the ranger, “That’s my car, that’s my car,” who told them it was too late to dispute the ticket.
“Damn ranger,” Valerio or his friend cursed repeatedly.
They got back into the white ute and one of the men shouted “f**k you” at the council officer as they drove away.
According to the agreed facts, Valerio drove onto Marian St before making a three-point turn and driving back towards the parking attendant and his colleague.
The rangers wore high-visibility vests and carried lit torches as they walked through the narrow street checking parked cars.
Court documents show the 22-year-old driver stopped on the street for a few seconds before driving recklessly onto the road.
The 22-year-old was driving a white Mazda car when he struck the parking attendant and the two parked cars.
Just 90 seconds after his altercation with the parking attendant, Valerio crashed into another parking attendant and a stationary Toyota.
He then left the 61-year-old man with life-threatening injuries under a parked car as he drove away.
CCTV footage recorded Valerio pausing for less than two seconds when he was 30 meters away from the collision, but he did not get out of the car or call emergency services.
The parking attendant was in a coma in intensive care for two weeks after the horrific accident. When he woke up, he had no memory of the incident.
The victim suffered traumatic brain and spinal injuries, a 4-inch laceration to his liver and fractures to his pelvis, ribs and arms.
He had to undergo multiple surgeries and stay in the hospital for almost four months while he recovered.
Police said Valerio knew the collision would have seriously injured the parking attendant, who was thrown under a parked car, but Valerio still did not stop to help.
Valerio then crashed into a parked Audi as he drove away from the crash scene.
The horror collision took place on Marion St in Enmore, a narrow residential street
Bystanders who witnessed the crashes called police, who carried out checks on the white ute.
They discovered that the car was registered to a funeral home owned by Valerio’s father, and the young driver turned himself in to police an hour later.
A court was previously told Valerio had no previous criminal record or history of violence.
His bid for bail was rejected earlier this month, so he will spend the holidays behind bars on remand until he learns his fate in February next year.
When sentencing the 22-year-old, the judge will be asked to take into account the related charges of destruction of property and failing to provide the victim with his details.
Acting Judge Graeme Henson told the NSW District Court he would expect Valerio to receive a sentence of at least four years for the “egregious course of conduct”.