A man who was charged after his wife was killed in a golf buggy crash during their honeymoon has recalled a haunting conversation he had with her moments before the tragedy.
Newlyweds Robbie Awad, 32, and Marina Hanna, 29, were celebrating their honeymoon on Hamilton Island on June 20, 2022 - just 10 days after their nuptials - when a horrific accident occurred.
The couple were traveling on a golf buggy when it suddenly crashed on Whitsunday Blvd, causing Hanna to go into cardiac arrest, as reported by News.com.au.
The bride was pronounced dead at the scene while her husband, who was behind the wheel, did not sustain any injuries.
Awad has pleaded guilty to three charges, including not wearing a seatbelt and using a mobile phone while driving.
On Thursday (July 4), during the first day of the hearing at Proserpine Magistrates Court, the groom pleaded not guilty to the charge of driving without due care and attention causing death.
According to reports, he took the stand and claimed that before the crash, he and Hana decided to leave the resort to get a meal.
"We were leaving Qualia [resort] in the buggy, I was driving, I drove toward the exit of Qualia, I waited for the [gates] to open. We drove out of the gates at 5 or 4 km/h," he said, adding that he pulled out his phone to look at directions, but his wife told him to get off his device.
“I was looking for directions on how to travel to the marina," he continued, revealing his wife chilling warned him once again to "Get off your phone".
"I said, ‘What is the worst that could happen? No worries,’ and I put the phone in my pocket,'" he concluded.
The 32-year-old reportedly told the court that the vehicle started to slow down when the couple were driving up a hill.
“[Once I got to the intersection] I could see it was very steep and I couldn’t see around the bend. I looked straight and saw there were no cars, the buggy was moving one meter every two seconds, so I drove the buggy into the flattest part," he said.
Awad alleged that the buggy revved while he was making the U-turn, explaining: “As I was accelerating, I was moving the steering wheel, but because the buggy wasn’t moving, I ended up doing full turns, then I heard ‘vrrrroom’ and the buggy accelerated very quickly.
“I started to have the thought, ‘Oh, the buggy might tip over,’ but by the time I could have finished the thought, it had already tipped over,” he added.
Bodycam footage from the immediate aftermath of the June 2022 incident was aired in court for the first time.
The clip revealed a visibly heartbroken Awad telling authorities: "It wasn't going very fast and I said 'Oh babe the battery's f***ed'...So I said, 'Oh I'll chuck a U-ey', and as I turned it picked up pace, it flung her out.
"It just took off, that was it, it was three seconds," he continued. "I can't believe she's dead... how does that happen?"
Awad's defense is arguing that the "tragic accident" was caused by a problem with the battery in the golf wagon. They contended that Awad drove carefully, and completed the U-turn in the most tactful way he thought possible.
“It fell over and killed his poor wife and he was devastated - and still is,” Awad’s defense lawyer Phillip Boulten said, per ABC.
The hearing, before Magistrate Kerrie O’Callaghan, continues on Friday.
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