Damning footage filmed by Buxton crash survivor emerges in court
Tyrell Edwards, the 18-year-old driver and sole survivor of a devastating car crash that killed five teens, filmed himself driving dangerously beforehand, according to court documents.
Edwards was driving a Nissan Navara ute when it crashed into two trees near the village of Wollondilly Shire in Buxton on Tuesday night, resulting in the deaths of three girls and two boys aged between 14 and 16.
Appearing in local court on Thursday on five charges of dangerous driving occasioning death, Edwards was refused bail after prosecutors said a video allegedly filmed in the lead-up to the crash showed he had a high level of moral culpability and supported several aspects of the charges.
According to a summary of police facts, Edwards filmed the video with his phone about an hour before the crash, with the clip showing him driving with two of the victims.
He is seen holding his phone while aggressively turning the steering wheel, with loud music playing in the background.
“We’re going to spin out cuz,” a male in the car can be heard saying.
Police allege that, in the moments before the crash, Edwards drove at high speed, lost control, crossed onto the wrong side of the road and travelled for about 40 metres along a grassy road shoulder.
Investigations suggest the car rotated for about 50 metres before hitting a tree then spun in the opposite direction before hitting a second tree.
The force of the impact caused the ute cabin to be torn open, ripping the rear seat from the car and throwing the five victims out.
According to court documents, witnesses overheard Edwards say, “I f***ed up, I’m going to jail.”
Edwards told police after the crash that the ute span out of control following a steering fault where the wheel was “shaking, going left to right”, and that braking failed to stop the vehicle.
He appeared via video link in Picton Local Court after a crowd of family members and friends descended on the court, with the 18-year-old to remain in custody until his next court appearance on November 16.
The court was told that Edwards finished Year 11 last year at Picton High School - the same school the five victims attended - and now works as a labourer.
Picton Magistrate Mark Douglass concluded that Edwards posed a risk to the community and could tamper with witnesses due to his strong ties to the community.
“It’s not an easy decision - he is a young man who has never been in custody,” Douglass said.
Edwards had previously held a driving licence for a short period of time before he accumulated two speeding offences and had it suspended earlier this year.
Outside court, Exaven Desisto, the father of crash victim Antonio, told the media that he didn’t want to see anyone behind bars.
“I’ve got to visit my son at the f***ing morgue,” he said.
Superintendent Paul Fuller, the chief of Camden Police who has 38 years of experience in the force, described the crash site as “one of the worst accident scenes I have ever come across”.
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