Michael John Wood (right) approached the ACT Courts last month with his solicitor, Michael Kukulies-Smith. Photo: Albert McKnight.
The former truck driver who killed his wife in a car crash after failing to tell the road authorities about his medical conditions has been banned from driving for at least three years.
Michael John Wood, 52, was sentenced to 12 months’ jail, fully suspended for a three-year good behaviour order in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday (5 November).
He was also disqualified from driving for three years and must apply to the courts to get his licence back.
He was driving on Isabella Drive on 7 May 2022 when he suffered a medical episode and crashed the car into a tree.
His wife, whom Region has chosen not to name, was a passenger in the car and died from her injuries soon after the crash, while a second passenger was also injured.
Magistrate James Lawton said Wood began having medical issues in 2020, when he was first advised not to drive. He went on to be treated for having a cyst on his brain.
He used to work as a truck driver and in January 2021 he renewed his ACT heavy vehicle drivers licence, but in his application for the licence, he didn’t declare any medical conditions.
He didn’t notify the road authorities of his conditions at any time, Magistrate Lawton said, which denied the authorities the opportunity to have oversight over his conditions, as well as input on whether or not he should be driving.
The magistrate said he didn’t find Wood deliberately lied to road authorities, but his failure to notify them of his medical conditions did aggravate the seriousness of his offences.
The magistrate also said in January 2022, Wood was explicitly advised not to drive his personal vehicle until it had been six months since his last seizure, but he failed to appreciate and heed that advice.
He pleaded guilty to charges of negligent driving causing death and negligent driving occasioning grievous bodily harm when he faced court for a sentencing hearing last month.
Magistrate Lawton found Wood’s negligence was serious enough to warrant a sentence of imprisonment, but said he would suspend it after taking account of his guilty plea and otherwise good character.
“The sentence that I impose today shouldn’t be seen as reflective on the life of [the wife] and the injuries on [the passenger],” he said.
He quoted from previous court cases when saying a licence to drive was a privilege that came with significant responsibilities. He said every road user accepted there was a risk of injury or death, and those risks were only acceptable if other road users did all they could to reduce them.
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