A Barrack Heights driver involved in a fiery single-vehicle crash at West Dapto last year which claimed the life of his 18-year-old passenger has fronted court for the first time.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Police allege Dylan Blake Dahl was driving his Honda Civic in a dangerous manner along Cleveland Road just after 2 o’clock on the morning of December 2 when he lost control on a bend about 1.2 kilometres west of Dapto High School.
His car veered off the road and went through a barbed wire fence, slamming into a tree and exploding on impact, police said at the time.
Local residents woken by the sound of the crash ran to the scene and were able to drag Dahl from the vehicle, however his front seat passenger, former Corrimal High School student Jayke Robinson, could not be freed in time.
He died at the scene.
At the time, police praised the man who dragged Dahl to safety.
“[The resident has] done a great job and they've probably saved that fella's life,” Lake Illawarra Police Inspector Paul Allman said.
“[The passenger] was trapped and unable to be saved.”
Dahl was taken to Wollongong Hospital in a critical condition but has since recovered.
Specialist crash investigators spent several hours examining the scene the following day.
Dahl was charged in March this year, with police serving court attendance notices on his lawyer for offences of dangerous driving occasioning death and negligent driving occasioning death.
Court documents revealed police have also suspended Dahl’s licence.
During a brief mention of his matter in court on Wednesday, Dahl’s lawyer, Matthew Ward, said police were yet to supply any witness statements or reports in the case.
Magistrate Brett Thomas ordered the brief of evidence be served by June 7 and adjourned the case for further mention on June 21.
Dahl was present for the proceedings but remained silent throughout, only standing to indicate his attendance when requested to do so at the outset of the hearing.