Gary Robert Mara (9 August 1962 – 21 August 2012) was an Australian professional

rugby league Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

footballer who played in the 1980s. The son of Bob Mara, he played for Balmain Tigers in the

1982 NSWRL season The 1982 NSWRFL season was the 75th season of professional rugby league football in Australia and saw the New South Wales Rugby Football League’s first expansion since 1967 with the introduction of the first two clubs from outside the Sydney are ...

, and for Parramatta Eels in the

1984 NSWRL season The 1984 New South Wales Rugby League season was the 77th season of competition between the top professional rugby league football clubs within New South Wales. With the departure from the first grade competition of Sydney foundation club the Newt ...

. After leaving rugby league, he worked at his family's pub, the Unity Hall Hotel in Balmain. Mara died while holidaying with his family in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, when he and his daughter were struck by a speeding drunk driver as they crossed a road. The driver, model Cara Cameron, was charged with murder and vehicular manslaughter. In a plea deal Cameron pleaded '

no contest ' is a legal term that comes from the Latin phrase for "I do not wish to contend". It is also referred to as a plea of no contest or no defense. In criminal Trial (law), trials in certain United States jurisdictions, it is a plea where the def ...

' to "vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated". She will serve four years' jail, and pay 100,000 to the Mara family.

References

1962 births 2012 deaths Australian rugby league players Rugby league players from Sydney Balmain Tigers players Parramatta Eels players Road incident deaths in California Pedestrian road incident deaths Manslaughter victims {{Australia-rugbyleague-bio-1960s-stub