A man charged over a crash which injured four pedestrians in the Adelaide CBD has claimed he blacked out at the time of the collision due to a seizure or sleep apnoea.
Carlos George Bechara, 40, was behind the wheel of a black BMW sedan which left the road at the intersection of Pulteney and Rundle streets on a Saturday afternoon last December.
The car smashed into a group of pedestrians before crashing into a pole.
Mr Bechara was charged with two counts of causing serious harm by dangerous driving and remanded in custody.
During a bail application in the Adelaide Magistrates Court on Wednesday, Mr Bechara's lawyer Ben Thilthorpe said his client most likely suffered a medical episode at the time of the crash, having a seizure or losing consciousness due to sleep apnoea.
He said Mr Bechara needed to undergo further tests to pinpoint the exact cause.
The court heard one of the pedestrians, a 67-year-old woman, sustained multiple fractured bones in the crash and was only released from hospital last month.
The prosecution has alleged Mr Bechara made no attempt to brake or avoid the collision.
But it noted that he did not have any drugs or alcohol in his system at the time of the crash and he was not travelling over the 50kph speed limit.
Magistrate Mary-Louise Hribal refused to grant Mr Bechara bail because on the serious nature of the allegations and concerns that he could reoffend if released from prison.
The matter returns to court on April 6.
