The driver of a car crash that killed three people and killed his girlfriend and two friends pleaded guilty to hooning earlier this year and was out on bail at the time of the incident.
Lachlan Stuckey, 21, was driving through Tarago, about 40km south of Goulburn in the NSW Southern Highlands, on Sunday around 1.10pm when the vehicle left the road and overturned.
His girlfriend Charlie Quinn, 18, his friend Aaron French, 20, and Mr French’s girlfriend, Brooke Sorlie, 21, were all seriously injured and died at the scene.
Mr Stuckey escaped with minor injuries and was able to get out of the vehicle unaided. He was taken to Canberra Hospital for treatment and mandatory blood tests and remains under police guard.
Now Daily Mail Australia can reveal that Stuckey pleaded guilty in Nowra District Court on January 9 to a hooning offence – prolonging, perpetuating, etc. loss of control.
Although no conviction has been established, he was sentenced to a 12-month conditional release order, effective until January 8, 2025.
No charges have been filed over the fatal crash and Daily Mail Australia does not suggest Stuckey acted unlawfully at the time of the accident.
Mr. Stuckey, a car enthusiast, regularly posts videos of himself on social media “hooning” his car, performing burnouts and doing “fishtails.”
Pictured: Charlie Quinn, 18, and Lachlan Stuckey, 21
Pictured: Brooke Sorlie, 21, and Aaron French
In a post featuring a clip of a man behind the wheel of a car, he wrote: “If you drive with your homies, you’re 150% more likely to end up in jail.”
Another video shows a tire sparking as the car speeds down the road, with the caption reading, “I swear to god, officer, I hit a pothole and got two flat tires.”
Daily Mail Australia can also reveal that Mr Stuckey was embroiled in another car-related legal case in 2022, after he and his father took revenge on a man who attacked them with a baseball bat.
According to the facts presented by the police in court, the victim had become enraged by the sound of Mr. Stuckey’s exhaust fumes and had aggressively approached him when he was near his car.
An argument broke out, after which the victim ended up driving home in his car.
However, Mr. Stuckey followed him in his car and called his father, who picked up his son from the victim’s address.
A fight then ensued between the three, during which the victim grabbed a baseball bat and used it on Mr. Stuckey.
Mr. Stuckey managed to get hold of the baseball bat and smashed the victim’s car windows before he and his father left the scene of the accident.
Lachlan Stuckey and father Shane Stuckey pleaded guilty to charges of unlawful entry, indecent behavior, destruction of property and assault.
Lachlan Stuckey (pictured), the driver, was the sole survivor of the crash
His girlfriend Charlie Quinn, 18, is remembered as a ‘beautiful girl’
No convictions were recorded for either offence and the 21-year-old was sentenced to 12 months conditional discharge.
Tributes are pouring in for the three victims of the crash, all from the Shoalhaven region on the New South Wales south coast.
A friend described Ms Quinn as a “wonderful friend”.
“She always had time for everyone, was always kind and positive, was loved by everyone and had an infectious smile,” they told Daily Mail Australia.
Another friend said she would be “gone, but never forgotten.”
“You’ll be with a lot of Char,” they said.
‘Rest in peace girl. The love I have for you will never end.’
One of Mrs Sorlie’s friends said she ‘always had a smile that brightened everyone’s day’.
“I will always cherish the memories of you, beautiful girl,” she said.
“I love you, Brookie Chookie.”
Another friend of Mrs. Sorlie wrote online: ‘Fly high, beautiful angel.’
‘I’m looking at the sky for you.’
According to social media posts, Ms Quinn left Bomaderry High School in June last year and went on to study through TAFE.
Mrs Sorlie, a keen horse rider, graduated from St John the Evangelist Catholic High School in Nowra several years ago.
Photos posted online show the girls enjoying life, going on vacation with their boyfriends, attending music festivals and hanging out with their friends.
In a photo posted in December 2021, Ms. Quinn stands next to her father and beams as she holds up a newly earned student sign.
“Congratulations, young lady,” said a family friend.
‘The world is yours now, but be careful.’
Daily Mail Australia reports that the group was travelling home to the Shoalhaven region at the time of the crash.
A woman who was among the first on the scene said she and other bystanders desperately tried to save the lives of Ms Sorlie and Mr French as they waited for emergency services to arrive.
“They were unconscious. We were giving them CPR but it just wasn’t working. It was horrible,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
The girls were killed along with a male passenger when the vehicle left the road and overturned near Tarago
‘One girl was still stuck in the car – the driver’s girlfriend. I can still hear his screams.
“He was screaming as he tried to get into the car and get his girlfriend out.”
Special accident investigators are still investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident, including whether speed played a role.
The tragedy has sparked outrage online, with local residents expressing their displeasure at the condition of the road, which is often used by trucks.
“One of the worst roads I’ve ever driven on. Potholes everywhere. It’s been shocking for years,” said one.
Another added: ‘The roads are a disgrace. I drive on them a lot and it’s not fair that the roads are in this state.’
A woman claimed that there was a piece of concrete on the road near the scene of the accident, which could have created a potential obstacle for drivers.
“My family members were the first on the scene and saw a huge chunk of concrete on the road that may have caused the crash,” she wrote online.
However, another emergency worker told Daily Mail Australia he could not remember seeing the object in the road.
A report is being prepared for the coroner.