They were three innocent people in the wrong place at the wrong time.
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Kerry Small, Kelly Tito and Deborah Anderson told Newcastle District court on Wednesday that their lives will never be the same following the injuries they suffered when a stolen semi-trailer driven by a mentally ill Rodney Johnson slammed into them in the main street of Singleton on 11 October 2017.
Mr Small spent six months in hospital with a fractured skull, punctured lung and broken legs recovering from injuries sustained when the stolen rig that Johnson had stolen from Murrurundi ploughed into his red sedan.
He no longer drives, lives in constant pain, struggles to sleep and relies on others to help him do basic tasks.
“I accept my life has changed forever; it will never be the same after I was hit by the truck,” Mr Small wrote in a victim impact statement read by his daughter.
The truck also rear-ended Ms Tito’s ute as it tore a path of destruction through the town’s main street
An emotional Ms Tito told the court said she had been diagnosed with post traumatic stress syndrome and suffered panic attacks.
“It's a terrible feeling, I will never be the same," she said.
"Everything has changed, my work, my lifestyle, I'm very withdrawn. I haven't driven very far."
Johnson, 31, who has been in custody since the incident, showed no apparent emotion as the victims spoke of the impact that his actions had taken on their lives.
In a letter tendered in during sentencing submissions, Johnson said he had stopped taking his psychotropic medication in September 2017 because he felt his mental health was improving.
He had not slept for four days before he stole a prime mover from a truck stop at Murrurundi.
“I was spinning out. When I was at the shop out at Caroona I thought I saw a black panther with yellow eyes. Then I thought I saw a deer on top of the shop roof. At dawn I thought I saw three yowies: two little ones and one big one. By the time I got to Willow Tree I thought people were trying to get me. I was trying to get back to Sydney,” Johnson wrote.
Johnson led police on a 100-kilometre chase along the New England Highway, at times driving on the wrong side of the road.
Footage from a pursuing police car played to the court showed the truck driving over a set of road spikes outside Singleton.
The truck continued into George Street.
Terrifying dash-cam footage showed the rig explode into a fireball as it careered into a shop front and sent power poles and traffic lights flying.
Eight people were assessed at the crash site, with five were taken to hospital.
Police facts tendered to the court show that Johnson fought violently with police who attempted to remove him from the burning vehicle.
He attempted to remove an officer’s gun from its holster. He also bit another officer on the wrist.
A record of police interview said Johnson “displayed neither concern for, nor interest in, the numerous victims he left in his wake”.
READ MORE: Rodney Johnson pleads guilty to pursuit
Johnson pleaded guilty last October to 11 counts, including police pursuit, using an offensive weapon to prevent lawful detention, failing to stop and assist after impact causing injury, damaging property, stealing a motor vehicle and dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.
Ten other less serious offences were withdrawn by the Director of Public Prosecutions.
Johnson wrote that he had seen reports of the carnage he caused at Singleton.
“I’ve seen on the news what happened and it really scared me. I know it’s important to take my medication so it doesn’t happen again…," he wrote.
“I feel bad about what happened. Sometimes I wake up of a night time and feel bad. I think “someone could have died”.
Johnson will be sentenced on Friday.
