A heartbroken mother who was left in an induced coma and lost her unborn baby in a horrific crash is still waiting for an apology from the teenage driver who avoided jail in a landmark sentencing.
Haylee Loccisano wants the girl, 17, to understand how the accident changed her life forever after the teen was recently sentenced to community service and suspended from driving for six months.
The girl pleaded guilty at Ipswich Youth Court to driving without due care, causing grievous bodily harm to Ms Loccisano and destroying the life of her unborn baby Celeste.
Mrs. Loccisano appeared in A current issue Monday night with a touching message for the teen.
“I just want her to understand how much this has affected my life and all I want from her is for her to know that she is sorry and feels some kind of remorse,” he said.
“Our goal for years has been to have a child.”
“And, I mean, we have one, but she’s just not Earth-side, so we’d like to have an Earth-side baby someday.”
The 17-year-old’s sentencing marked the first use of Sophie’s Law in Queensland. It meant that the judge was empowered to adjust a custodial sentence for the death of a fetus in a criminal act.
Hailey Loccisano and her husband Connor want an apology from the 17-year-old driver who caused the death of their unborn daughter
The teenager was driving a Toyota RAV4 when she swerved into oncoming traffic and collided head-on with the Toyota Hilux utility vehicle in which Ms Loccisano (pictured) was travelling.
Loccisano believed the girl, who cannot legally be identified due to her age, came out on top when reading an excerpt of her victim’s heartbreaking impact statement to the program.
‘(After waking up from a coma) I see a caesarean section scar and no baby. “I was losing milk for two months and I didn’t have a baby,” she said.
“I feel like the victim and it’s just me who is living a life sentence.”
Mrs Loccisano became pregnant with her ‘miracle baby’ Celeste after four miscarriages.
Her husband Connor couldn’t even touch their daughter when she was born, and she couldn’t be saved.
“I couldn’t hold my baby because he had to go to a forensic report,” she said.
‘So I wasn’t allowed to touch her. The only thing I could do was look at her.
Sophie’s Law is now in force in New South Wales and Queensland.
It followed years of campaigning by Sarah Milosevic, who lost her unborn baby at 39 weeks after a drunk and drugged driver crashed into her car in 2014 and was later fined.
Loccisano, then 24, was 25 weeks pregnant and a passenger in a Toyota Hilux driven by her mother Teresa Burn in Purga, west of Brisbane.
The father-to-be, Connor Loccisano, revealed that he was not allowed to touch the baby before taking him to the coroner.
Haylee Loccisano expressed her frustration outside court after the 17-year-old driver who caused the crash that killed her unborn baby received community service and a driving suspension.
The teenager driving a Toyota RAV4 became distracted and swerved into oncoming traffic during a moment of inattention, causing a head-on collision with the Hilux.
Attempts to save Celeste by Caesarean section failed and Mrs Loccisano spent the next eight days in intensive care with significant abdominal injuries requiring several surgeries.
Ms Loccisano told the court Celeste was her miracle ‘rainbow baby’ after being told she could not get pregnant in her impact statement.
“It was taken from me at the hands of a reckless driver… having it taken away from me like that has affected me in ways that are hard to describe,” he said.
‘I remember every little detail of the accident. I remember the fear that invaded my body… my baby suddenly wasn’t moving.’
Loccisano said his extensive scars were a daily reminder of his loss and that he continued to suffer from physical and mental health problems.
Outside court, Ms Loccisano said she “didn’t feel good” about the sentence.
“It wasn’t enough for the life that was taken,” he said.
Mrs Loccisano spent eight days in intensive care with significant abdominal injuries that required several surgeries.
Acting Magistrate Sue Ganasan sentenced the teenager to 100 hours of community service and disqualified her from holding a license for six months with no conviction recorded.
The maximum penalty the teenager could have faced was one year in prison.
“There is no getting around the fact that any sentence I impose will leave the parties facing the tragic consequences of what happened,” Ms Ganasan said.
The teenager’s lawyer, James Godbolt, told reporters outside court that his client was “obviously very remorseful.”
“It is a terrible tragedy and nothing can fix it,” he said.
After years of campaigning for Sophie’s Law, Ms Milosevic called for more changes after being present at Tuesday’s historic sentencing.
He called for minimum custodial sentences for crimes that invoke Sophie’s Law.
‘(Community service) is a free ride. I don’t think she’ll learn anything from that,” he said of the teen driver outside court.
“As far as I’m concerned, she got away with it.”