Mum pleads not guilty to drug-driving

A mother accused of driving under the influence of drugs, leading to her seven-year-old son suffering serious head injuries after being thrown from the car during a crash, has pleaded not guilty.

Zeth Steicke sustained serious head injuries after being thrown from the back seat of the car, which hit a tree and rolled on Albany Highway on August 12, 2017.

In Albany Magistrate’s Court last Thursday, his mother Carmel Paula Deana Townhill pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm under the influence of drugs.

The court has previously heard police allegations Ms Townhill, 30, was incapable of controlling her Jeep Cherokee as she headed north on Albany Highway towards Mt Barker at 9.20pm.

The court heard Zeth may have been unrestrained on the back seat. He was transferred to Princess Margaret Hospital with traumatic brain injury, as well as a broken jaw and spinal and internal injuries.

Ms Townhill and her daughter, 3, who was also a passenger in the back, were uninjured.

Ms Townhill will appear in court again on August 30 for a committal mention hearing.