A truck driver has been sentenced in the Napier District Court to two years and four months prison after pleading guilty to a charge of dangerous driving causing death and injury.
Sarah Schmidt, 25, was driving a 30 tonne Volvo truck and trailer unit on the morning of February 9 when she crashed into the rear of a stationary ute, killing Caleb Baker, 22.
Baker’s ute had been stationary at the back of a queue of rush-hour traffic on the Hawke’s Bay Expressway. He suffered fatal injuries and died at the scene.
A summary of facts provided to the court revealed Schmidt was using her cellphone in the seconds before the crash, Stuff reports.
Dashcam footage revealed she had spent 44 minutes holding and using her cellphone over a total driving time of one hour and 56 minutes.
On the morning of the crash, Schmidt had left Dannevirke at 5.38am and arrived at Napier Port at 7.23am. She unloaded and loaded her truck before leaving the port at 7.34am. The crash occurred eleven minutes later.
In addition to Baker’s death, Schmidt also caused injuries to the woman behind the wheel of the stationary vehicle in front of him.
Schmidt appeared in the Napier District Court on Thursday and was sentenced by Judge Bridget Mackintosh.
