A District Court Judge in West Australia has given a suspended sentence to a truck driver who had fatally struck an Indian cyclist in June last year.
Justin Robert Roney was driving a prime mover that was towing a trailer when he crashed into Shivanand Malgonda Jadhav who was riding along the Forrest Highway in the southwestern town of Binningup on June 3.
Mr Roney pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death in the Busselton District Court on Monday.
He was adjusting his sun visor to fix a glare on the windshield when he drifted into the emergency lane for five seconds and hit the 36-year-old cyclist at an estimated speed of 100 km/hr, the court heard.
While giving out the sentence, Judge Laurie Levy took into account that Mr Roney was remorseful, attempted to help Mr Jadhav and did not have any previous criminal record, The West Australian reported.
As a result, the truckie was spared jail time after he was sentenced to two-and-a-half year’s imprisonment, suspended for 18 months.
He was, however, disqualified from driving for two years.
Mr Jadhav was a mechanical engineer from India who was working as a consultant in Perth’s CBD and had extensive experience in the oil and gas industry, according to his Linkedin profile.
In his free time, he often cycled long distances and regularly posted about his rides on social media.
Mr Jadhav was described as a ‘keen rider’ by fellow cyclists in a heartfelt tribute, after his death.
At the time of the incident, the passionate cyclist was preparing for the 200 km ‘Ride to Conquer Cancer’ for Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research that was slated for October 2018.
He is survived by his wife and an eight-year-old son. SBS Punjabi reached out to his friends and family, but they declined to comment.
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