Truck driver took eyes off road before fatal crash with motorcyclist

Truck driver Pritpal Singh, now 50, was making a delivery to a warehouse at Cardiff in March, 2021 when he took his eyes off the road as he made a right-hand turn, his truck crossing into the path of a motorbike coming the other way.

The impact caused the death of much loved motorcyclist Robert Daniel Ryan, known as "Danny", and devastated his extended family and friends.

More than three years after the crash, Singh pleaded guilty to dangerous driving occasioning death on the basis of momentary inattention; that he had averted his eyes from the road as he turned into Ranton Street and failed to see Mr Ryan, 78, on his motorbike.

And on Friday, Mr Ryan's loved ones packed Newcastle District Court as Singh faced a sentence hearing and listened to the tragic consequences and devastating impact of his "simple mistake".

"I know you didn't get out of bed with the intention of killing my husband, Danny," Helen Ryan said in her victim impact statement. "But kill him you did. People say you have lots of memories and I do. But memories don't give you a kiss good morning or good night. Now memories are my only companion. You took my life that day as well as Danny's."

Mr Ryan's eldest daughter, Sharyn Ryan-Hancock, said Singh's decision to not take responsibility for his actions for three years changed what happened "from not only unforgettable but unforgivable".

She said her father's life was cut suddenly short by the impact of Singh making a "very simple but very bad choice".

"The responsibility of his death lies with you," Mrs Ryan-Hancock said in her statement. "The trauma doesn't just go away for me. I am still sad and I am still angry. It should never have happened. My father's life mattered."

Mr Ryan's daughter, Vicki Done, said the world lost an "honest, caring man" because of Singh's ignorance and "blatant indifference" to another person's life.

"If you had just done the right thing and actually looked and paid attention then everyone's life would be different," Mrs Done said. "It is your fault that our family has been ripped apart."

Crown prosecutor Matthew Coates said while the crash was caused by Singh's "momentary inattention" he had 80 metres from the point of impact to see Mr Ryan coming the other way.

"The offender had ample time to see the deceased," Mr Coates said.

Meanwhile, defence barrister, Rob Hussey, pointed to the guideline judgment in fatal crash cases that states a jail term would usually be appropriate, unless the offender has a low level of moral culpability "as in the case of momentary inattention or misjudgment".

Judge Peter McGrath will sentence Singh next Friday.