WA grandma Jannine Richards who suffered seizure during horror crash that claimed life of granddaughter jailed

A Perth grandmother who lost control of her car after suffering a seizure, causing her to crash into a tree, killing her five-year-old granddaughter, has been jailed for three-and-a-half years. Jannine Richards was driving her two grandchildren to school on June 24, 2022 and was 3km from her Maylands home when the tragedy occurred. Witnesses reported seeing the Toyota Kluger swerving around cars and travelling above the speed limit along Dianella Drive, Dianella at about 9am. It then mounted the median strip and ploughed into a tree. The 67-year-old’s two granddaughters were the back of the car and the oldest was critically injured. She was rushed to Perth Children’s Hospital and underwent emergency surgery but died three days later. Richards also sustained serious injuries including spine, pelvic, leg and rib fractures as well as a vertebral artery dissection. The other passenger, her four-year-old granddaughter, was not physically harmed. During her sentencing hearing, the WA District Court was told that on April 30, several weeks before the crash, Richards had suffered a neurological episode — her third for the year. She first experienced a blackout on January 10, then another one just over two weeks later. The court was told she had also periodically experienced brief non-responsive episodes, some witnessed by other family members, between 2009 and September 2021. A neurologist told Richards it was not safe for her to drive and advised she not get behind the wheel for at least six months. A review on that ban was due to take place on July 27, 2022, just over a month after the crash. The neurologist also instructed Richards to report her situation to the WA Department of Transport — but she didn’t. Richards also did not tell her daughter or her ex-son-in-law about her medical driving ban. The court was told that in the days before the crash her daughter had concerns about her ability to drive and had therefore asked her father to do the school run instead. In jailing Richards, Judge Amanda Burrows said there appeared to be no reason why her husband could not have driven the children that morning. Judge Burrows said the grandmother “chose to drive contrary to the instructions” of the neurologist and “in the knowledge that you had had the blackout in January of 2022 and previous non-responsive episodes on a number of occasions since 2009”. “This case is a tragedy on so many levels,” Judge Burrows said. “The life of a dearly loved child has been lost. “You have been left with significant injuries and families are left to grieve the loss of a loved one. “The families, of which you are a part, are understandably devastated. “The tragedy which occurred could have been avoided if you’d adhered to the medical advice.” The court was told that in the months after the crash, Richards lost contact with her daughter but the relationship had since resumed. She was also diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy. Judge Burrows made Richards eligible for parole after serving half the term.