Mr Mascelle pulled over 88 metres away to check what damage had been caused to his vehicle and pulled off a busted plastic stone guard and fog light.
Asked why he didn't go back to ascertain what he had hit, Mr Mascelle said he saw local man Campbell Primmer arrive at the scene and thought he was "taking care of it''.
"As you've probably seen my wife is a parapalegic, she's confined to a wheelchair and if the car is going to catch fire and she's stuck I'm going to look after her first.''
But Mr Crayton continued: "You still don't know what you hit, that's right isn't it ? For all you knew Mr Primmer may have had an accident also with less fortunate consequences ... and you still don't go back to investigate? Why not?''
Mr Mascelle replied: "At that time I made that judgement based on the information I had before me, right now it was the wrong judgement but it's the one I made.''
Earlier Mr Mascelle said he drove with headlights dipped because there was fog in the area and he was a "careful driver''.
This prompted a family member of Mr Hoskins, sitting in the courtroom, to say "bulls***'', prompting Mr Mascelle to ask the hearing: "Do I have to sit here and put up with this?''
The inquest heard Mr Mascelle was towing a trailer that was six months overdue for a warrant of fitness. The trailer had faulty side-front lights, brakes and wheel bearings.
The inquest, before Coroner Garry Evans, will conclude this afternoon.