Driver avoids jail after crash victim blinded

File photo / Herald on Sunday

A van driver has avoided a jail term after causing a accident that left a motor cyclist legally blind.

Daniela Snowball, 43, was sentenced in Whakatane District Court to eight months home detention and 200 hours community work after being found guilty in May of dangerous driving.

He was also disqualified from driving for 15 months and ordered to pay $15,000 reparation.

The court was told Snowball was travelling home to Auckland via the Rotorua lakes district with his family on November 1.

His van was loaded up with people, luggage and musical equipment, making visibility limited.

It was a hot summer's day and the family decided to stop for a swim at one of the lakes, so Snowball pulled over to the left to wait for a break in traffic and make a right turn.

He checked his mirror but didn't turn his head to judge how far away four motorcycle riders were and turned into their path.

The lead rider tried to avoid the van, but ended up being lodged underneath and his head was dragged along the road for 10m to 20m until the van stopped.

The victim suffered multiple injuries from the accident and was hospitalised for some time, with internal injuries that included broken ribs, a torn aorta, a ruptured spleen, brain injuries, fractured vertebrae and eye socket and other broken bones.

He suffered blindness in both eyes and was classed as legally blind.

Passing sentence Judge Peter Rollo said Snowball's blatant piece of bad driving caused the experienced motorcyclist irreparable disability and permanently ruined his quality of life.

"It would be hard to envisage a more serious consequence to the man and his family other than death," the judge said.

"The consequences for this man have been enormous. His life and his family's will never be the same.

"He had previously earned a good income and is now reduced to a life where he can probably never work again."

Judge Rollo said that prison was an appropriate starting point but he decided home detention could be imposed.

- NZPA