Chauffeur left with catastrophic injuries and ‘will never work again’ after crash involving Rolls‑Royce linked to LanLan Yang
George Plassaras sustained multiple life‑changing injuries in a July collision in Sydney; the accused, a 23‑year‑old heiress, faces new charges and remains on restrictive bail
A Sydney hire‑car driver who was trapped in wreckage after being struck by a Rolls‑Royce allegedly driven by 23‑year‑old LanLan Yang has been told he will never work again, according to people close to him and media reports.
George Plassaras, 52, suffered a broken spine, two broken hips, two broken femurs, a torn‑open abdomen, a ruptured spleen and other severe injuries in the crash on New South Head Road at Rose Bay about 3:20 a.m. on July 26, Daily Mail Australia reported. He underwent surgery and remains in rehabilitation at a Sydney facility; doctors have told him he will require a complete right hip replacement, a right knee replacement and long‑term rehabilitation, and that he is unlikely to return to paid work.
The collision involved a Tiffany blue Rolls‑Royce Cullinan valued at about $1.5 million and a Mercedes van driven by Plassaras, who runs Dakota Limousines and had driven for radio host Kyle Sandilands. Police and Fire and Rescue NSW crews freed Plassaras from the crushed vehicle; he was initially taken to the intensive care unit at St Vincent’s Hospital, the reports said.
Yang emerged from the crash apparently uninjured. She was initially charged with causing bodily harm by misconduct and refusing or failing to submit to a breath test, and later faced two additional charges: dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm, an offence that can carry a maximum penalty of seven years in prison, and failing to give particulars to police, court listings show and media reports say. Yang has not entered a plea and her lawyer did not respond to requests for comment, the Daily Mail reported.
Associates of Plassaras told the Daily Mail he faces a bleak employment future and will not be able to return to his rented unit because it cannot be modified to meet his mobility needs. "He's never going to be able to work again," a fellow hire‑car driver who has been in contact with Plassaras said. Another industry contact said, "He has lost his livelihood. His whole world has changed completely and he's on his own."
The NSW Hire Car Association launched a GoFundMe appeal for Plassaras that raised A$8,620 before platform fees; the association said A$8,413.86 was paid to him. Simon Kalipciyan, the association founder and appeal organiser, said Plassaras now faced mounting bills for rehabilitation, treatment, home modifications and mobility aids while his van had been written off.
Yang, who is reported to live in Watsons Bay and to keep a second Rolls‑Royce at her home, has been on strict bail conditions including a 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew. The Daily Mail reported she has been driven by a chauffeur and was photographed dining at a harbourside restaurant; reporters who approached her on at least two occasions said she declined to answer questions. When Yang’s case was first listed in mid‑August, dozens of onlookers queued outside Downing Centre Local Court; she did not attend in person and appeared via audio‑visual link from her lawyer’s office.
Plassaras spoke once publicly after the crash in an interview on Sandilands’ radio program. "I've got no right hip," he said. "It's totally gone. I've just been lying flat since Saturday, since the accident." Sandilands has previously described Plassaras as the "greatest employee ever," saying the driver had been concerned for others even as he was being taken from the scene.
Police records and court listings give the next court date for Yang as Sept. 26. Prosecutors and defence teams will appear before the court to progress the matter; no trial date has been announced. Yang’s alleged role in the crash remains subject to criminal proceedings, and she is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The case has drawn significant public attention in Australia and abroad because of media coverage of Yang’s apparent wealth and designer wardrobe, and because of images from the wrecked van and the luxury vehicle involved. Media reports were the source of many of the details about Plassaras’s injuries, the bail conditions, the fundraising effort and Yang’s public movements following the crash.