SINGLE mother Rebekah Dodt is angry.

Angry that she was the innocent victim of a hoon driver who crashed the car they were travelling in while racing another hoon, leaving her with serious injuries including a smashed disc in her back, four broken ribs, a broken nose and brain bruising.
She is even angrier that the driver, Steven John Williams, 22, walked away from court with no more than 100 hours community service and a six-month driving disqualification.
"We're lucky no-one died," Ms Dodt told The Chronicle while nursing her 15-month-old son Connor who, she says, could have been left with a mother in a wheelchair ... or worse.
Ms Dodt had accepted a lift from Williams and his girlfriend for the return trip from the Gold Coast to Toowoomba on June 24 last year.
As she sat in the back seat playing a game on her mobile phone, Williams was trying to entice other drivers on the Ipswich Motorway near Redbank to a "drag".
"I looked up and saw that he (Williams) was racing the bloke next to us," Ms Dodt said.
"I looked at the speedo and saw we were doing 160kmh."
A very lucky but angry Rebekah Dodt at home in Toowoomba with her 15-month-old son Connor.
When Williams' car suddenly came up behind another vehicle in his lane he tried to swerve around it but lost control.
Williams' car fishtailed across the highway and slammed into a concrete barrier before bouncing back across the road and into another concrete barrier.
The car was written off and all three taken to Ipswich Hospital.
However, none were admitted and returned to Toowoomba, a scenario which could ultimately explain the light penalty handed down to Williams.
In obvious pain, Ms Dodt sought medical treatment and soon found herself in hospital.
"I underwent surgery and had six titanium pins put in my back and was fitted with a brace for two weeks," she explained.
"I had three CT scans for the bruising on the brain.
"I've still got some problems with my back and I may have to have more surgery."
Ms Dodt's family cared for Connor while she was in treatment and, fortunately, she has made a remarkable recovery.
Williams pleaded guilty before Toowoomba Magistrates Court on March 24 to a charge of dangerous driving.
He was not charged with dangerous driving causing grievous bodily harm and Ms Dodt's injuries were not mentioned in court.
That could be because Ipswich police investigated the crash, but the injuries sustained by Ms Dodt were not treated at Ipswich, but Toowoomba.
"It's just not right," an angry Ms Dodt protested.
"I was hoping justice would be served when he appeared in court.
"I was hoping I would get to speak to the court, but I wasn't told about it."
The first Ms Dodt knew of Williams' sentence was when she read it in The Chronicle.
She is considering taking civil action against the driver.
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COMMENT: The Courts in Toowoomba are as equally adept as those in Ipswich handing down limp-wristed sentences to offenders who deserve time in jail.
Sentences should be imposed which reflect the gravity of the offence and the need for a deterrent effect of a stiff penalty
PAUL TULLY: PaulGTully@gmail.com
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