Retired truck driver Bruce Raymond Page, 67, sentenced after 'accidental' crash in Taminda, Tamworth, left man injured

Bruce Raymond Page, 67, was slapped with a fine and year-long driving ban in Tamworth Local Court earlier this week, after he pleaded guilty to a single charge of negligent driving causing grievous bodily harm.

Defence solicitor Garry Johnston argued the crash was an "accident" caused by fleeting inattention at the end of a fairly long shift.

He submitted that losing his licence would be debilitating for Page and the knock-on effects would be more punishment than he deserves.

The court heard Page had been driving trucks for almost half-a-century, but chose to hand in his heavy vehicle licence following the crash in Taminda on the afternoon of November 5, last year.

"This accident frightened him Your Honour, he retired ... this was it," Mr Johnston said.

"He realised perhaps his use-by date as a driver of heavy vehicles has been reached."

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A 57-year-old man was behind the wheel of a maroon ute travelling at about 60km per hour along Dampier Street when Page's truck, travelling in the opposite direction, slowed to turn right onto Wallamore Road.

Police claimed Page told officers at the time that he didn't see the ute coming.

He turned right, failing to give way to the oncoming ute, and smashed into the front driver's side.

The 57-year-old man was left trapped for a short time before he was freed and taken to Tamworth hospital.

He suffered a fractured leg and a rotator cuff injury in the crash and had to undergo surgery in Sydney, according to the police facts.

Magistrate Julie Soars accepted it was an unfortunate accident and Page had no intention.

But, she said the offending was not trivial and Page was facing a "reasonably serious" charge.

"Both of [the victim's injuries] may cause ongoing mobility issues, I would have thought," she said.

She rejected Mr Johnston's request for a non-conviction and good behaviour order, telling the court it would not meet sentencing outcomes, including recognising the harm done and denouncing the conduct.

Page was disqualified from holding any kind of vehicle licence until March next year, was convicted of the offence and will have to pay a $600 fine.

Court documents show an appeal against the sentence had already been lodged later that day.

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