A tragic incident resulted in the death of a pregnant woman and her unborn child after they were hit by a vehicle while crossing a car park entrance. The woman, accompanied by her husband and their three-year-old son, was struck at the entrance to a car park on George Street in Hornsby, north Sydney, around 8pm on Friday. A teenage driver with a provisional license has been charged in connection with the accident and could face up to 10 years in prison.
Reports indicate that a Kia Carnival had stopped to let the family cross at Hornsby Railway Station’s car park when a white BMW driven by a P-plate driver crashed into the Kia, causing it to hit the woman. Emergency services responded to the scene and rushed the 33-year-old, who was eight months pregnant, to Westmead Hospital in critical condition. Unfortunately, both the mother and her baby did not survive.
Assistant Commissioner David Driver of the NSW Police Traffic and Highway Patrol Command described the crash as “very confronting” for emergency responders, emphasizing the tragic nature of the incident, especially when children are involved. The P-plate driver, Aaron Papazoglu, received medical treatment before being released to his home in Wahroonga. Following an investigation involving dashcam footage, police arrested the 19-year-old at Millewa Avenue in Wahroonga.
Papazoglu has been charged with dangerous driving causing death, negligent driving resulting in death, and causing the loss of a fetus – death of a pregnant woman under Zoe’s Law, which was enacted three years ago. He remains in custody and is scheduled to appear at Parramatta Local Court on Sunday.