Latest news with #RayCard
News.com.au
a day ago
- News.com.au
Ex-Geelong footy player Ray Card jailed over fatal car crash
A former Geelong footballer says he will have a 'lifetime of hurt and regret' after he was sentenced to nine years' jail for causing a horrific traffic accident in November last year. Ray Card played 110 games for the Cats in the 1970s and 80s, but now lives 'under a shroud of sadness and shame' following the drunken accident that killed his partner and left a 19-year-old woman with significant injuries. FOX FOOTY, available on Kayo Sports, is the only place to watch every match of every round in the 2025 Toyota AFL Premiership Season LIVE in 4K, with no ad-breaks during play. New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1. Card and Mandy McDonald attended a wedding in Lara, outside Geelong, on November 16 when he made the fateful decision to drive home, as reported by the Geelong Advertiser. Card, 68, who had a blood alcohol reading of 0.226, more than four times the legal limit, drove onto the wrong side of Melbourne's Ring Road and collided with a BMW. McDonald died at the scene and the teenager from Lovely Banks, who was a passenger in the BMW, was left with a dislocated and fractured hip, a broken forearm and permanent nerve damage. Card pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death and negligently causing serious injury, with Judge Gerard Mullaly telling Geelong's County Court on Thursday Card made a 'catastrophically bad decision' to get behind the wheel. Peter and Jenny, the parents of the young lady involved in the crash who is now 20, spoke outside the court after the sentence. 'The Justice had his reasons, but I think it's time that a stronger message was sent that too much alcohol doesn't do anybody any good,' Peter said. 'And it's time something was really done about it to reduce these sorts of incidents and the suffering it causes.' Asked about his daughter, Peter said: 'It's still a long road to follow, to get over the trauma that it caused her is probably the biggest issue I think 'She's still got a long way to go … she used to be an active volleyballer and she's not able to do that sort of thing yet. 'But she certainly wants to be able to.' Jenny added: 'The sentence for serious injury was two years and 10 months, Angelina will be still struggling with all her injuries well past two years and 10 months. 'At 20, that's a hard pill to swallow.' Card had a number of character references during the trial, including some former teammates, which were taken into account by the judge. But he still called Card's conduct a 'diabolically bad decision'. Card wrote an apology letter to Angelina, when he stated he now 'lived under a shroud of sadness and shame'. 'The prison time I will serve will not compare to the lifetime of hurt and regret I will have caused you,' he wrote.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Daily Mail
Former footy player learns fate over drink driving crash that killed the 'love of his life'
Ray Card has been sentenced to nine years in jail after the former Geelong player, who had been four times over the legal drink drive limit, caused a car accident in November 2024, which killed his wife, Amanda McDonald, and injured a 19-year-old woman. The 68-year-old pleaded guilty to culpable driving causing death and a second charge of negligently causing serious injury to another. He will be eligible for parole after serving four years of his sentence. The crash occurred on the Geelong Ring Road on November 16. Mr Card and Ms McDonald were returning home from a wedding in Lara when the former Cats player drove onto the wrong side of the road and collided head-on with a BMW. The County Court of Victoria heard that Mr Card had a blood alcohol reading of 0.226 following the crash. Both Mr Card and Ms McDonald had been drinking during the wedding. The former AFL player had initially planned to leave his car at the wedding venue and take a taxi home to his residence in Grovedale. The accident left a 19-year-old promising volleyball player with serious injuries that required her to use a wheelchair during a long recovery. His partner, Ms McDonald died at the scene. During a sentencing hearing at the County Court at Geelong on Thursday, Judge Gerrard Mullaly told the court that Mr Card's decision to drive home was a 'catastrophically bad decision.' Police body camera footage recorded following the crash was shown to the court. It showed Mr Card taking immediate responsibility. 'It's my fault, I'm pissed,' he had said. During sentencing, Judge Mullaly explained that the consequences of the crash and Mr Card's blood alcohol reading made the case a 'serious example of culpable driving.' The judge also explained his shock to the court at Mr Card's blood alcohol level, saying that it was a figure that he had not encountered for over 20 years. The court also heard 15 character statements for Mr Card. One of those came from Ms McDonald's family, while multiple former Geelong players also issued statements. The McDonald family has remained supportive of Mr Card, with Judge Mullaly stating that he was 'deeply impressed by their generosity of spirit' despite the loss of Ms McDonald. Judge Mullaly took the references into consideration when handing down the sentence, and also noted Mr Card's remorse. 'Your personal qualities are not dismissed or given lip service by me… plainly you are much more than the one diabolically bad decision you made,' the judge said. Mr Card had also issued a letter to the McDonald family, where he expressed his deep remorse. 'The time I spend in jail will not compare to your life now, and the loss of the love of my life,' the former Geelong player wrote. 'I wish it had been me.' Mr Card had been admitted to hospital following the crash, where it was found that he was suffering from a terminal cardiac illness. The football player has a 36 per cent chance of living for a further five years. 'A just or appropriate sentence may well mean you spend the rest of his life in jail,' Judge Mullaly said, taking note of his illness. He added: 'You should have hope, even if faint, that you survive the non-parole period.' Mr Card made 110 appearances for Geelong between 1977 and 1987. Following his playing career, Mr Card stepped into coaching and would take charge of multiple local footy sides, including Wangaratta and Milawa.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Revealed: Footy great's 'gut-wrenching' act straight after he killed the 'love of his life' in horror crash when he was more than four times over the drink-drive limit
Former Geelong player Ray Card pleaded guilty on Monday to a charge of culpable driving causing the death of his wife, Amanda McDonald, during a car accident following a wedding in Lara on Saturday, November 16, 2024. The County Court of Victoria heard that Card, 68, had a blood alcohol reading of 0.226 following the crash. Card had also pleaded guilty to a second charge of causing serious injury to a 19-year-old woman, who had been in a separate car travelling in the other direction at the time the incident occurred. The court heard that Card and McDonald, who was described as the 'love of his life', had been drinking before leaving the wedding to drive home in the former footballer's Ford Ranger. The pair had stopped at a restaurant before driving onto the Ring Road heading towards Bacchus Marsh Road. They went around a bend and saw headlights coming towards them, with Card braking before swerving right across the road into the opposite lane. Both cars collided on their passenger sides, and McDonald was killed in the crash. Card (pictured) also pleaded guilty to a second charge of causing serious injury to a 19-year-old woman, who had to be airlifted to hospital The 19-year-old woman, who was sitting in the passenger seat of the other car, a BWM, was airlifted to The Alfred Hospital and later underwent multiple surgeries. On Monday, Card's barrister, Geoff Steward, also told the court that the body camera footage captured following the accident showed the former AFL player's 'Gut-wrenching, life-changing, grief-stricken remorse'. 'It's hard to watch, his despair, his grief,' Steward said. He then pointed to how Card's immediate concern was for his wife and not himself. The former Geelong player had also shown his remorse to the 19-year-old woman who was injured in the crash, writing her a letter to apologise. He had also asked for his own bail to be revoked. McDonald's family had also been forgiving of Card, with Steward calling their statement an 'extraordinary' display of support. Steward noted one of McDonald's daughters said that Card 'always will be a part of this family.' In total, 14 character references were given by the defence. Former Geelong captain Damien Bourke was among those who appeared in court. Bourke said: 'Ray's always been one to give himself, rather than take anything.' Crown Prosecutor Jordan Johnson also read victim impact statements to the court. In one statement, the parents of the 19-year-old, who was airlifted to hospital following the incident, expressed their terror after finding out about the crash and had driven to the site of the incident, before heading to the Geelong hospital and then The Alfred, searching for their daughter. They added that she had suffered 'terrible stress' during her long and slow recovery. The woman has suffered from PTSD as a result and had spent her 20th birthday, Christmas and New Year in a wheelchair. She has also suffered from concussion symptoms and pain. 'It breaks my heart to see her suffer like this,' her mother wrote. Card made 110 appearances for Geelong between 1977 and 1987.
