Man Charged Over Serious Crash injuring 17yo at Greta

A 20-year-old man has been charged following a serious crash in the Hunter region last week that left a teenage girl with significant injuries.

The incident occurred on Thursday, 8 August 2024, when police were alerted to a teenage girl presenting at Maitland Hospital with severe lower body injuries believed to have been caused by a crash. Police from the Hunter Valley Police District were informed that the 17-year-old girl had been struck by a vehicle on Camp Road, Greta, earlier that evening in a hit-and-run incident. The girl was later transferred to John Hunter Hospital for further treatment.

Following investigations, police arrested Jesse Waeger at Greta around 2 pm on Wednesday, 14 August 2024. He was taken to Singleton Police Station and charged with several offences, including dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, and failing to stop and assist after a vehicle impact causing grievous bodily harm.

It is alleged that Waeger was performing burnouts in a Ford Falcon when he lost control of the vehicle and struck the 17-year-old girl. He was also charged with driving while never licensed, using an unregistered and uninsured vehicle, and performing a burnout that caused a sustained loss of traction.

Waeger appeared before Singleton Local Court on Thursday, where he pleaded guilty to several charges but denied fleeing the scene, pleading not guilty to the charge of failing to stop and assist. Despite the serious nature of the charges, he was granted conditional bail, which includes a strict house arrest, daily reporting to police, and a $5,000 surety.

The case has been adjourned, with Waeger scheduled to reappear in Singleton Local Court on 26 September 2024.