Driver haunted by memory of death

BITTER LESSON: Desmond Wilson leaves Wellington District Court after being sentenced.

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A lonely void has been left in Pam Fitzgerald's life after the death of her husband, former top traffic officer Steve Fitzgerald.

And the man driving the truck that ran over and killed him cannot get the memory of Mr Fitzgerald's death out of his mind.

Desmond Wilson, 46, was sentenced in Wellington District Court yesterday to pay $2000 in emotional reparation and was disqualified from driving for nine months.

He had pleaded not guilty to a charge of careless driving causing death. However, he was found to be at fault in a ruling issued last month.

In a victim impact statement from Mrs Fitzgerald referred to at the sentencing, Judge Tom Broadmore said she spoke of the loneliness she now feels.

"She refers to the void and the loss of her husband ... the loneliness and plans that will not be fulfilled, the changes to her life in a number of ways."

Mr Fitzgerald, 57, was cycling home from work when he went under the wheels of Wilson's articulated truck at the roundabout intersection of The Esplanade and Hutt Rd in Petone in June 2008.

The 41-year police veteran was a former head of the country's road policing units.

Mrs Fitzgerald was not present in court yesterday, though several of her husband's colleagues attended.

Defence lawyer Bill Calver said Wilson's life had been consumed by the accident and he found it difficult "not to relive it".

"The degree of carelessness was modest, at the bottom end of the scale. However the consequences have, of course, been enormous."

Wilson had struggled with life in the past year. He had quit his job, had counselling and been diagnosed with depression, Mr Calver said.

Judge Tom Broadmore said he was satisfied that Wilson did not see Mr Fitzgerald before the accident. "Everyone makes mistakes."

He said sentencing was "challenging and painful for everybody involved ... including judges", because of the circumstances.

Transit New Zealand is set to complete a $350,000 cycle lane that circumvents the roundabout before Christmas.

- © Fairfax NZ News