A speeding driver told ambulance officers he had downed "maybe 15 schooners" before fatally hitting a young woman in Sydney's south, a court has heard.
It's alleged Patrick Nealon, 38, had been drinking at a pub for several hours before ploughing his ute into 22-year-old Nicole Lewanski in December 2016.
Nealon has pleaded not guilty to aggravated dangerous driving occasioning death.
Downing Centre District Court on Wednesday heard Nealon was driving erratically and had so much to drink he could "hardly walk" following the accident on the Princes Highway at Wolli Creek.
Crown prosecutor Christopher Taylor said an ambulance driver who attended the 5.45pm accident asked Nealon how much alcohol he'd consumed.
It's alleged he replied "heaps" and "maybe 15 schooners of beer". The court heard he'd started drinking at 1.30pm.
"He (the paramedic) could tell that the accused was intoxicated and flopping himself sideways," Mr Taylor said.
The prosecutor said several witnesses - including police and ambulance officers - will testify that Nealon was affected by alcohol and could hardly walk.
It's alleged Nealon attempted to evade a blood alcohol test at the scene by biting on the tube of the breathalyser rather than blowing into it.
However, when tested at hospital he returned a high-range reading of 0.169 - over three times the legal limit.
"Mr Nealon was observed to be swaying slightly, they could smell alcohol from his direction. He was swaying on the spot. His speech was slurred and slow," Mr Taylor told the court.
Bus driver Bishoy Youssef was in traffic on Brodie Sparks Drive when he witnessed the accident.
He described the moment the ute ploughed into a pedestrian island, flattened fencing and a traffic light pole before knocking Ms Lewanski into the air.
Witnesses described Nealon's ute as revving loudly and speeding as he approached the intersection.
"It was going bloody fast - very fast, quite fast," Mr Youssef said.
"I saw someone flying and then banging into the ground and then a body. Then when I looked she didn't actually move."
The Crown alleges Nealon was driving south on the Princes Highway in his V8 Commodore ute when he swerved across two lanes of traffic in an attempt to make a sudden right turn.
Barry Faulks, a witness who was standing at a pedestrian crossing on the highway, told the court Nealon was travelling well above the 60 km/h speed limit.
"I thought about it carefully, and maybe the crash analysts say I'm off the mark, I thought it was up to 90 km/h," he said.
The trial before Judge Jennie Girdham is expected to last four weeks.
Australian Associated Press
