Drunk Dad Who Caused Horrific Crash That Killed Baby Son Blames It On Mother

A man, who is on trial for a horrific car crash that killed his infant son, has laid the blame on the baby's mother, telling the court that it was she who drove the vehicle that day.

James Farmer, 23, appeared in front of the Supreme Court of Western Australia Monday after being accused of drunk driving and speeding, before crashing the car into a power pole, reports ABC News.

Farmer's three-month-old son was thrown out of the vehicle and died at the scene. His partner also suffered serious injuries, including trauma to her head, fractures to her vertebrae and leg, and a lacerated spleen and liver. The incident happened before midnight on April 20, 2018.

Defense barrister Jonathan Davies said Farmer's partner and baby's mother Oraleigh Raukawa could have been the driver. He said that when the car was at the service station before the crash, a heavily drunk Farmer was seen vomiting in a flower bed and then lying on a seat of the car.

"The defense says James Farmer was stupefied by alcohol and not capable of getting behind the wheel. He was too drunk to do anything useful," Davies said. He added that Raukawa's memory of the crash had been affected by the head injury she suffered. Raukawa admitted to the court that she couldn’t remember who was driving.

According to the prosecutor, the car was seen by witnesses doing two burnouts, which caused one of the tires to go flat. "The witnesses say the red car came flying past so quickly it appeared as a blur and caused their own cars to be sucked to the right," said State Prosecutor Ben Stanwix.

Moments later, the car lost control before slamming into a lamp pole on the side of the freeway. All three occupants were thrown from the vehicle. Later examination proved the baby was not wearing any restraints. Farmer's blood sample results revealed a blood alcohol content of .142 percent which is almost three times the legal limit, the court was told.

Stanwix said the prosecution would depend on three pieces of circumstantial evidence to prove that Farmer was the one behind the wheels. This includes his manner of driving before the crash when he was doing burnouts and Farmer's alleged words to a witness at the scene that "I've f****d up. I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

The trial continues.