Just moments earlier, the victim and his taxi driver, Hamza Bilal, 27, had been arguing as they drove from Sub-Urban nightclub in Dickson about 10pm one Friday in March last year.

The pair was in a heated exchange about the pre-payment of a fare, something which Bilal admitted made him angry.

The victim was dropped off near the intersection of William Webb Drive and Callaghan Street, Evatt.

But Bilal performed a U-turn and crossed to the wrong side of the road.

He struck the victim with his taxi - something he claims was not intentional - and continued driving.

The man’s body was trapped under the taxi’s front wheel well, and he was dragged along the asphalt of William Webb Drive.

Bilal claimed he didn’t realise the man was trapped in his wheel - something Justice John Burns said he had a hard time believing.

The crime left the passenger with a long list of horrific injuries.

His pelvis was severely fractured, he had a hole in his abdomen that couldn’t be closed, his nerves were damaged, he lost 20 per cent of the skin on his back and left leg and arm.

On Friday, just one day out from the 12-month anniversary of the crime, the ACT Supreme Court has heard the devastating impact the crime had on the man and his family.

He is still recovering from his injuries, which he and his medical team believed would kill him.

‘‘As I lay awake at night, I often think about being dragged along the road under the car and thinking ‘this is it’,’’ the man wrote in a victim impact statement.

He said the pain was unlike anything he had ever experienced, and that the injuries had robbed him of his loved job in construction, fishing, playing with his dog, sports, and the future he had envisaged for him and his partner.

‘‘I feel like I am trapped inside a body that doesn’t and won’t work any more,’’ he said.

‘‘This ordeal will never end. I’ll have to deal with this for the rest of my life.’’

Bilal, who has pleaded guilty to the offence, gave evidence in court on Friday.

Family and friends of the victim watched on from the public gallery as he claimed he had not intended to hit the man.

He said he had made a ‘‘split second’’ decision to try and drive around the back of him.

He apologised to the victim and family for his ‘‘terrible mistake’’.

‘‘I feel terrible for what I have done. I wish I could go back and think about that again,’’ Bilal said.

The court also heard from the victim’s partner and wife about the devastating impacts the crime has had on their lives.

Bilal will be sentenced by Justice Burns next month.

He faces prison time and likely deportation to his native Pakistan.