Alcohol-fuelled barmaid had 7 individuals in automotive earlier than crash noticed one passenger die

Karla Dodds had seven friends in her Hyuandai i10 on the way to a house party, despite being “well over” the drink-driving limit, when the car crashed and saw one passenger tragically die

A barmaid, who was “well over” the drink-drive limit, had seven people crammed inside her car when she lost control and crashed the vehicle. One passenger died after hanging his head out of the window at the time of the incident.

Karla Dodds, 25, offered a lift to a house party in Tyne and Wear to six of her friends, despite being “well over” the drink-drive limit. She had four people on the back seat and one crammed into the tiny boot of her Hyundai i10.

Truman Hubb, 22, was one of the passengers crammed in the back seat and was reportedly hanging his head out of the window at the time of the crash. Dodds then lost control of the car, hit a lamppost and flip over, killing the young man. Dodd then fled the scene, leaving Truman injured at the crash site.

At Newcastle Crown Court, Dodds admitted to death by careless driving while over the drink-drive limit, but denied causing death by dangerous driving. She will now stand trial for this.

Andrew Espley, prosecuting, said: “The prosecution case is that Karla Dodds caused the death of Truman Hub by driving dangerously in the early hours of the morning on Sunday November 20 2022. In brief, Karla Dodds had been out at work the previous day, the Saturday night, as a barmaid in a local pub.

“She then went out drinking in Whitley Bay from 11.30pm, driving her car from home to the pub.” After spending a couple of hours in the Havana nightclub, in Whitley Bay, she picked up six other people to take them to a house party in Shiremoor. By then she was well over the legal limit for alcohol for driving.”

Espley continued: “We say the defendant was driving too fast in the circumstances. The actual speed was not, of itself, grossly excessive but was too fast in all the circumstances.”

The prosecutor said the manner of Dodd’s driving was not the sole cause of Truman’s death, saying that he was unlikely to have died had he not been hanging out the window. However, the car only rolled because of dangerous driving.

The court heard the man who got in the boot, who is more than six foot tall, said he did so reluctantly. He said he felt a bump then “everything seemed to spin or rotate” and he banged his head. He was helped out afterwards and lost consciousness for a time.

Mr Espley said another passenger said Dodds had offered to drive them and said she’d had a few drinks but was “ok to drive” and he told her to have some water. He claimed she was driving too fast and said he told her to slow down and turned the music down at one point, but she ignored him and turned the music back up. He said he also told her she had “far too many people in the car”.

The court heard Dodds fled the scene and was nearly twice the drink-drive limit almost four hours after the collision. When she was later interviewed by police, Dodds said the “whole thing was a bit of a blur” and she didn’t know Truman was fatally injured when she left and was “in shock”. Asked if she thought it was dangerous to have seven people in a car designed for five people, she said: “Yes I absolutely agree with that and I apologise”.

Dodds denies causing death by dangerous driving and the trial continues.

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