An Indian Uber driver will not spend a day in jail for killing a young dad while making an illegal turn into oncoming traffic in North Adelaide.
Kunj Patel, 31, faced the South Australian District Court on Wednesday for sentencing after pleading guilty to one count of causing death by dangerous driving over the horror crash that killed Tyler Matthews-Burnes, 24, on New Year’s Eve, 2023.
Judge Kristopher Handshin said Patel’s driving “almost defied belief” as he sentenced him to four years and 14 days’ imprisonment to be served as home detention due to no “ongoing risk” to the community, The Advertiser reported.
He also banned Patel from driving for 10 years, starting when his sentence is complete.
Patel made a sudden and illegal right turn from the middle lane of Robe Terrace, crashing into Mr Matthews-Burnes’ motorcycle in his white SUV. The critically injured rider died in Royal Adelaide Hospital shortly afterwards.
“Once you began to execute your turn with such severely impeded visibility, you took no apparent steps to do so with common sense caution – such as by edging your way into a position where you might have at least had a chance to see and take evasive action,” Judge Handshin told Patel in sentencing.
“The horrendous consequences of what was an obviously impulsive and unsafe, yet avoidable, act of driving should serve as the most sombre reminder for every motorist about the inherent dangers of doing things on the road hastily.
“It involves a fundamentally unsafe driving manoeuvre – indeed one that was fraught from the outset. Your act of dangerous driving caused the death of a young man and has broken a family.”
Patel originally pleaded not guilty in August last year before changing his plea in November, entitling him to a 5% sentencing discount.
Last year an Indian truck driver who ran a red light and killed a Chinese tourist was also allowed to serve his sentence of three years and four months in home detention.
Header image: Left, Kunj Patel (7 News). Right, Tyler Matthews-Burnes (Facebook).
