![Braith Fitzgerald leaves court on Tuesday. Picture by Hannah Neale Braith Fitzgerald leaves court on Tuesday. Picture by Hannah Neale](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/DaHt57RjVSvtvCBUgFzTWj/a2bca362-2c92-4b6e-9f07-3e22b8b61f45.JPG/r0_305_4296_2720_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
A teenager has suffered brain damage after being thrown from the bonnet of a vehicle driven by his friend in a McDonald's car park.
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Braith Jay Fitzgerald faced the Queanbeyan Local Court on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old, of Coolringdon, NSW, had previously pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.
Police facts state about 8.30pm on October 12, 2022, Fitzgerald was at McDonald's in Cooma.
The victim mounted the bonnet of a stationary Toyota Carolla and witnesses pushed the car back and forth.
Fitzgerald, who was aged 19 at the time, then started the engine and drove around the carpark.
He drove in a circular motion with the victim still on the bonnet, made a sharp turn and then came to an abrupt stop.
The victim was thrown from the vehicle and "impacted heavily" with the bitumen road surface, police facts state.
The victim suffered a seizure and suspected serious head injuries. He also lost consciousness for approximately two minutes.
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Emergency services were called and found the victim in "significant distress and severe discomfort".
He was "combative and agitated" and ended up being sedated, the facts state.
The victim was taken to Canberra Hospital, where he ended up spending four weeks in the neuropsychology assessment unit.
In a recorded interview, Fitzgerald told police he was driving the vehicle at the time and said the victim was on the bonnet of the car and had fallen off.
The victim had a fracture near the back of his head, abrasions and a brain bleed. He was treated for a traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic amnesia.
In court, defence lawyer John Davidson said Fitzgerald and the victim were friends before the incident, and had been in contact since then.
He said the victim had suffered "brain damage" as a result of the events.
Magistrate Roger Clisdell adjourned the matter for sentence in Cooma Local Court on June 27.
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