The Springwood family of Sarah Frazer, who was tragically killed on the Hume Highway in 2012, listened in a Goulburn Court on Monday as a truck driver was found guilty over the fatal accident.
But the father of Sarah Frazer (pictured), Peter Frazer, told the ABC there “are no winners in a court case like this” as the families were all still grieving. He expressed sorrow for the driver.
On Monday, the third jury empanelled for the case before Goulburn District Court (after legal problems with two earlier juries) found NSW truck driver Kaine Daniel Barnett, 26, guilty of dangerous driving causing two deaths on the Hume Highway in 2012. He has pleaded not guilty.
Sarah Frazer, 23, a former student at St Columba’s College, was on her way to university in Wagga Wagga in February that year when her car broke down near Mittagong, in the Southern Highlands.
Tow-truck driver Geoffrey Clark and Ms Frazer were loading the broken car onto Mr Clark’s truck when a passing courier truck smashed into them. The two died instantly.
Barnett, who will be sentenced next month, is now facing up to 20 years in jail for a few seconds of inattention which led to their deaths.
“The reality is nothing can bring Sarah back,” Mr Frazer said. “We feel extraordinarily sorry for Kaine, his family and friends.
“We should be celebrating her second year of university, we should be talking about the loves in her life, about her getting married, having children, every part has been taken away from her friends and family.”
Outside the court Mr Frazer urged drivers to pay attention on the roads.
The Frazer family has campaigned tirelessly on road safety since their daughter’s death. The road where she died has since been widened to include a breakdown lane; a lane that would have saved the lives of their daughter and the tow truck driver. They remain committed to getting the rest of Australia’s roads similarly improved.
