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A woman has denied telling a friend "I hit him" after her car struck and killed her partner who was walking on a road late at night after the pair had argued, an inquest has heard.
WARNING: This story contains offensive and racist language, as well as accounts of family violence
The Tasmanian coroner is investigating the death of 26-year-old Jari Wise, who died after being hit on Wilmot Road in Huonville, south of Hobart, at about 1:10am on February 29, 2020.
Melissa Oates was drunk and speeding at the time and later spent eight months in jail after being convicted of dangerous driving, drink driving and failing to stop and assist after an accident.
She was never found legally responsible for Mr Wise's death because it could not be ruled out that he had jumped in front of her vehicle.
The inquest was ordered by former attorney-general Elise Archer after a campaign by Mr Wise's mother, Faith Tkalac, who disputed that her son had put himself in harm's way.
The inquest today heard on the night of the fatal crash, they had been drinking at a friend's house — despite having apprehended violence orders issued against each other.
While there, they had two arguments, including one in which Mr Wise threw a chair at her car, and another where he smashed a bottle onto the vehicle, before heading to a friend's house nearby.
Ms Oates eventually decided to drive home, telling the inquest she hoped to pick up Mr Wise along the way as she believed he was already walking back to her place.
After getting food at a service station, she said she drove down Wilmot Road, but after finding no sign of Mr Wise, she turned around and drove back the same way towards the highway.
When the crash happened, she said she "panicked".
"I heard a bang and something hard had hit my car and I didn't know what it was at that time," she told the inquest on Wednesday.
Instead of stopping, Ms Oates drove back to her friend Jessica Hosking's house.
"I didn't know if Jari had been along there and thrown something at my car or if it was an animal," she said.
"I just panicked and drove back to Jessica's."
Ms Oates said she had no idea Mr Wise was on Wilmot Road at the time, and only realised she had hit him when she later returned to the crash site.
The lawyer for Mr Wise's mother, Fabiano Cangelosi, questioned Ms Oates's evidence, saying two statutory declarations by Ms Hosking's neighbours suggested she was aware Mr Wise had been hit.
Mr Cangelosi told the inquest one neighbour had said in his statutory declaration:
Melissa jumped out and said, 'look at the car, look at what he's f---ing done to my car. [Jessica] went outside and you [Melissa Oates] said, 'I hit the c***'"
Mr Cangelosi read from the other neighbour's statutory declaration:
"I saw Melissa standing near her car. I heard Melissa say, 'look what he's done to my car. He's f***ed my car.'
"Jess said, 'What have you done?' Melissa said, 'I hit him'."
Ms Oates rejected their accounts, telling the inquest: "I didn't say it because I didn't know I hit Jari".
Mr Cangelosi put the proposition to Ms Oates that she had indeed seen Mr Wise on Wilmot Road.
Mr Cangelosi: "You drove at approximately 110 kph and you did so knowing there was a likelihood you would strike him."
Ms Oates: "No, that's not the case."
Earlier, Mr Cangelosi had shown the court an image of the extensive damage caused to Ms Oates's vehicle after the collision.
Half of the windscreen had been shattered and a deep dent was visible on the bonnet near the left-hand wheel.
The lawyer also noted phone records from the night, which indicated the couple had been talking several times in the lead up to the crash. Mr Cangelosi suggested the pair would have discussed where Mr Wise was at the time.
He said Mr Wise had sent her text message moments before the crash, saying "please go back".
Ms Oates insisted she had not seen the message.
The court was also told about several other incidents during their relationship.
Mr Cangelosi said about one month before the fatal crash, Mr Wise had had to protect himself with a frying pan after Ms Oates came at him with a knife.
Ms Oates told the court she had snipped a hole in his jeans while he was wearing them, but said she had no intention of harming him.
Mr Cangelosi said on another occasion she had set fire to one of his shoes.
He said a witness had also provided a statutory declaration about a separate incident, accusing her of chasing after Mr Wise in her car while he was walking and calling him a "black c***".
Ms Oates denied the claim.
The inquest has been adjourned until coroner Simon Cooper hands down his findings at a date yet to be determined.
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