Wayne Young pleaded guilty to careless driving causing the death of Te Aorangi Hohepa. Photo / Kelly Makiha
A Taupō truck driver who was looking at his phone when he crossed a centre line and killed an oncoming driver has left a “catastrophic” impact on a Rotorua family.
Wayne Dion Young, 54, was sentenced in the Rotorua District Court yesterday after pleading guilty to careless driving causing the death of Te Aorangi Hohepa. The crash happened on November 26 last year.
Hohepa, 85 – an adored wife of 63 years, mother and grandmother –fought her critical injuries for nine days before she died on December 4.
Her daughter, Tracey Hohepa, held a large photograph of her mother with the words “Love you mum” written on it, as she tearfully read her victim impact statement to Judge John Bergseng at the sentencing.
Tracey Hohepa said she lived in a house beside her parents. Her mother told her that morning she was popping out to pick up her husband and she wouldn’t be long.
Tracey Hohepa said when they didn’t return immediately, her gut told her something wasn’t right.
“Then I got a call. ‘This is a police officer … do you know Te Aorangi Hohepa’. My heart was pounding.”
She described her mother as a beautiful soul with a big heart.
“She was caring, loving, funny and so clever.”
A Victim Support representative read a victim impact statement from the wider family that said the family was “broken and enraged”.
It said the family felt the pain of her absence every day and they were consumed by grief and anger.
Young’s lawyer, Pavee Patanasiri, said his client was “absolutely devastated” by what happened on that day.
“He acknowledges he has caused a significant amount of pain and there is nothing he can do to relieve that pain.”
Patanasiri said Young was not in a financial position to pay a substantial emotional harm reparation but offered to sell his truck and give the proceeds to the Hohepa family, which should be between $5000 and $7000.
Judge Bergseng said the sentencing process did not address the loss suffered by the family but he hoped it would in some way help their healing.
He said Young was a professional truck driver who was travelling north on Hamurana Rd about 8.30am when he used his phone to check his destination on Google Maps.
As he did, his truck crossed the centre line and collided with Hohepa’s vehicle.
He said Young had three previous drink-driving convictions and two previous disqualified driving convictions but noted the last was in 2004, meaning he hadn’t reoffended in more than 20 years.
He said Young deserved credit for attending an emotional restorative justice session where he “looked the family in the eye” and expressed remorse.
Judge Bergseng said drivers using their phones was sadly something that happened every day.
“You will be following a vehicle and seeing it weaving across the road and you can be pretty confident they are looking at their device.”
He said professional truck drivers were held to account more than other drivers as they should be aware they posed more risk to others given they were driving heavy vehicles.
“The reality is, Mrs Hohepa had simply no chance. It was seen as a miracle that she continued to survive. The impact has been catastrophic for Mrs Hohepa and her family.”
The charge of careless driving causing death carries a maximum sentence of three months’ imprisonment or a maximum fine of $4500.
Judge Bergseng gave a starting point of 360 hours’ community work but reduced the sentence by 145 hours’ community work for his guilty plea, remorse and offer to pay emotional harm reparation.
The end sentence was 215 hours’ community work. Young was also disqualified from driving for 14 months and ordered to pay the Hohepa family $5000 in emotional harm reparation.
Kelly Makiha is a senior journalist who has reported for the Rotorua Daily Post for more than 25 years, covering mainly police, court, human interest and social issues.