The teenager had to be airlifted to a Sydney hospital early on Friday morning after the 17-year-old driver of the car was allegedly drunk and crashed the Subaru Impreza into a tree on Coronation Drive in Orange.
The injured passenger had to be extracted from the car by Fire and Rescue NSW officers. He is now in Westmead Hospital in a critical condition.
A teenager is in a critical condition after a car hit a tree in a residential street of Orange.TNV
A second passenger,a 14-year-old girl who was in the back seat at the time of the crash,escaped the wreckage without injury.
The 17-year-old male driver escaped injury and was taken to Orange Police Station after also allegedly returning a positive test roadside. At the police station,he underwent a breath analysis and allegedly returned a 0.164 reading.
Police also allege there was no one in the car with a full licence supervising the 17-year-old,as per the condition of the learner licence.
The driver was charged with five offences by police,including aggravated dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm,driving under the influence,high range drink driving,and driving as a learner while not being accompanied by a supervisor.
He was granted strict conditional bail and will appear at a children’s court on February 2.
His licence was also suspended.
A total of 288 people died on NSW roads in 2022,an increase from a historic low of 275 in 2021. Nine people died on NSW roads in the 11 days between December 23,2022 and January 2,2023,according to NSW Police.
Cut through the noise of federal politics with news,views and expert analysis from Jacqueline Maley..