A south-west Victorian man will serve at least two years and fourth months in jail after being sentenced over a three-vehicle collision last year.
Jason Anthony Hanson pleaded guilty to driving offences including dangerous driving causing death, serious injury, and failing to rest for minimum rest time.
The 49-year-old was driving a 57-tonne B-double truck on the Western Highway on September 14, 2021, when he struck the back of a car turning into a rest stop.
The collision caused the car to be pushed head-on into the path of a second car travelling in the other direction.
The crash caused the death of a 42-year-old Ararat woman and a 71-year-old Horsham woman, as well as seriously injuring 37-year-old Shaun Leggett.
Mr Leggett sustained significant spinal cord injuries and is now living with paraplegia.
He is unable to feel his legs and lower body.
'Unthinking negligence'
During sentencing in a Melbourne County Court today Judge Richard Maidment said that Hanson had not been paying proper attention for a "prolonged" period of time.
After the incident, Hanson said he was "just having a sip" of coffee and was reaching to put the drink back in a holder when the collision occurred.
Judge Maidment described the period of inattention as "unthinking negligence".
"The period of inattention was significant, in my opinion," Judge Maidment said.
"You well knew the nature of the vehicle you were driving … you were very familiar with it and the road was, as you acknowledged … straight, [with] good visibility.
"There is no excuse for failing to observe the risks of collision arising from a vehicle stationary in the lane which you were travelling in."
Judge Maidment noted that Hanson had suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder and mental health issues since the incident.
Hanson hung his head and cried as the details of the collision were read aloud to the court.
He was handed a total effective sentence of three years and 10 months.
Hanson will serve a minimum of two years and four months.
