Edna Galas Flores Norton: Two years and two months imprisonment for death of Albany volunteer figure

An Albany woman who drove onto the wrong side of the road — causing the “completely avoidable and senseless” death of a beloved community figure and maiming her daughter — has been jailed for two years. Edna Galas Flores Norton, 69, was sentenced in Albany District Court on Monday for dangerous driving causing death and dangerous driving causing bodily harm. Norton pleaded guilty on April 3 to causing Nicole Weeden’s death and on Monday pleaded guilty to causing bodily harm to Mrs Weeden’s daughter Shanaya Weeden. On August 6, 2022, Norton was driving north on Albany Highway when she collided with Mrs Weeden who was driving south from Mt Barker to Albany with her daughter. Witnesses reported seeing Norton driving erratically and speeding along the highway, veering and drifting across the northbound lane before the fatal crash, with one witness estimating that she reached speeds between 140kms to 150kms per hour. After overtaking one witness, Norton drove around a left-handed bend of the highway and veered into the southbound lane. Mrs Weeden, seeing that Norton was in the wrong lane, took evasive action to avoid colliding with her at the same time that Norton steered back into the correct lane, causing Norton to collide with Mrs Weeden’s Isuzu sedan. Mrs Weeden died at the scene and her daughter sustained injuries to her colon and left hand, which required surgery and months of rehabilitation. Norton underwent several surgeries after the crash and is unable to walk without the use of a wheelie walker. While Norton was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and does not have a history of dangerous driving offences, District Court Judge Nicholas Egan said the nature of her driving that day “was not out of character”, describing an incident in November 2021 when an off-duty police officer saw Norton driving erratically and crossing the middle solid white line, including around blind corners. Judge Egan said the road collision was “extremely tragic” and had “devastating” consequences, robbing the Albany community of a devoted special needs teacher who spent “countless hours” volunteering for community clubs and associations. Judge Egan said an impact statement from Mrs Weeden’s husband written on behalf of himself, his four children, and Mrs Weeden’s immediate and extended family spoke of “the grief and struggles that he and his family have endured and will continue to endure for the rest of their lives by reason of his wife and children’s mother being taken from them”. “Needless to say the loss and grief described by Mr Weeden graphically reveals the tragic and devastating impact that your offending has had on Mr Weeden’s family and on Shanaya,” Judge Egan said. “It is loss and grief which no one in the community should experience. And it is loss and grief which was completely avoidable and senseless.” Judge Egan told Norton that he was “unable to find that you are truly remorseful for your offending”, noting that she had not made any apology to the Weeden family, nor had she submitted a letter of remorse to the court. Judge Egan sentenced Norton to an immediate term of two years and two months in jail with parole and disqualified her from driving for four and a half years.