A NEW South Wales truck driver wept in Horsham County Court dock after a judge jailed him for five years for having caused a fatal collision on the Western Highway.
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Gregory Allen Abrahams, 33, pleaded guilty in court last week to one count of culpable driving causing the death of Melbourne man Mark Pisano, 40.
On Friday, he was sentenced to five years in prison with a three- year non-parole period.
Judge Julian Leckie said he suspected Abrahams had taken stimulants to stay awake while driving from Adelaide to Melbourne on August 17 last year.
He said he believed the effects of the drugs had worn off before Abrahams fell asleep at the wheel.
The court heard he failed to negotiate a right-hand bend on the highway at Lawloit, 14 kilometres west of Nhill.
He strayed straight into the path of Mr Pisano, who was travelling in a car in the opposite direction.
Mr Pisano died at the scene from head injuries. The impact of the accident was so severe the driver's side door of Mr Pisano's Toyota Camry peeled away. Abrahams was driving a 42-tonne truck carrying alcohol.
The court heard that immediately after the accident Abrahams threw amphetamines hidden in a cigarette packet from his truck. Police found the drugs on the roadside and Abrahams told them at the time they must have been planted in his truck.
A drug test later revealed Abrahams had a `small quantity' of methal amphetamines in his system when the accident happened.
The court heard he also told police that on his way to Lawloit he had stopped at a BP roadhouse at Tintinara and had a free cup of coffee.
The court heard police investigations found there was no BP roadhouse at the South Australian town, and no service station from Adelaide to Melbourne was giving out free cups of coffee.
"Your conduct immediately after the accident was deplorable," Judge Leckie told Abrahams.
He said while Abrahams now showed genuine remorse and had good prospects of rehabilitation, the charge was a serious one.
"The consequences of your driving are significant," he said.
Mr Pisano's family watched Friday's sentencing from Melbourne via a court videolink. Their victim impact statements were tendered to the court.
Brother Raffaele's statement said the family had been punished for the rest of its lives while sister Cathie said her brother's death had left a hole in her heart and soul.<
