A 42-year-old South Australian man will face a District Court trial after pleading not guilty to two charges of dangerous driving causing death in a crash that claimed the lives of his uncle and a colleague last December.
Wade Doyle, a resident of Hackham West, has formally denied both counts of causing death by dangerous driving while operating a vehicle with a blood alcohol content exceeding the legal limit of 0.08. The tragic incident unfolded on December 10 at Cuttlefish Bay, located on Kangaroo Island off South Australia’s southern coast, where 55-year-old Craig Doyle (Wade Doyle’s uncle) and 26-year-old Ed Burrows lost their lives.
Authorities allege that Wade Doyle was behind the wheel of a utility vehicle carrying all three men when the vehicle rolled off Cape Willoughby Road and collided with a tree along the roadside. During a short procedural hearing at Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday, the defendant entered his not guilty pleas to both charges laid against him.
After the hearing concluded, Doyle left the courthouse accompanied by a group of supporters, shielding his face from press photographers with a sheet of paper. He declined to make any public statement to reporters waiting outside the court building. His trial is set to proceed in the South Australian District Court, with his next scheduled court appearance scheduled for August 14.
In the wake of the fatal crash, tributes poured in for the two deceased men, who worked alongside each other at Sea Dragon Kangaroo Island, a five-star hospitality venue on the island. Kimberley Doyle, daughter of Craig Doyle, shared a heartfelt message on social media following the incident, writing: “Our hearts are absolutely broken. We currently have no words, but we wanted our friends and families to know. We love you so much dad and will miss you forever and ever.”