Sean Lewis Worthington: Albany man who narrowly avoided Albany Highway crash and slapped another driver fined

An Albany man who slapped another driver in a roadside altercation and drove dangerously on Albany Highway has been fined $1500. Sean Lewis Worthington pleaded guilty to assault occasioning bodily harm and dangerous driving in Albany Magistrates Court on Thursday. The 21-year-old narrowly avoided a crash while overtaking two vehicles on December 10, 2024, on Albany Highway between Albany and Mt Barker. Defence counsel Kyah Langdon said her client indicated as he approached an overtaking lane and moved to overtake both the complainant’s car and the semitrailer in front when the complainant “came out of nowhere” to overtake without indicating. She said Worthington got “quite worked up”, driving close behind the complainant’s car and flashing his lights. Police prosecutor Sgt Warrick Walker said both Worthington and the complainant pulled over and had a verbal argument on the side of the road which escalated with Worthington slapping the complainant across the face, leaving him with a bleeding lip and bruising, before driving away. Ms Langdon said Worthington drives the route to work every day and told her “a car is not a toy, it is a tool, you can’t stuff around on the highway”. Magistrate Erin O’Donnell said while there were some extenuating circumstances, she felt Worthington understood they were no excuse for his actions. Worthington was fined $1000 for assault and $500 for reckless driving, and must pay costs of $156.