Kensington Rd, Marryatville High School pedestrian crossing crash truck driver Sang Van Huynh faces sentencing submissions

Two Marryatville High School students seriously injured when hit by a truck driver running a red light have laid out in harrowing detail the longstanding impact on them.

A Year 12 student who had the world at his feet has told a court he has to give up dreams of going to university after an inattentive truck driver ran a red light, hitting and seriously injuring him and another student.

Family members of two Marryatville High School students who were hit by a truck while on their way to school in March 2023 confronted the driver for the first time in the District Court on Thursday.

Sang Van Huynh, 57, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious harm by dangerous driving after hitting Amity Nield and Isaac Jones, both then aged 16, outside their school on March 22, 2023.

Dashcam footage showing the moment before the Marryatville students are hit by a truck running a red light on Kensington Rd on March 22, 2023. Picture: 7NEWS

Truck driver Sang Van Huynh, left, leaves the Adelaide Magistrates Court with a supporter after an earlier hearing. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Brenton Edwards

In their victim impact statements, read by prosecutor Tracey Nelson, the two teens told the court they had no memory of the crash or the following days in hospital.

“Life before the incident is hard to remember, but I believe it was very good,” Amity said.

“Now my life is somewhat getting back to normal, but no sport at the moment or for the next six months due to my ACL injury.

“As I don’t remember the accident, most of my time in hospital or the following weeks, my psychological impact directly from that is low, unlike many of the people who were there and who remember the days surrounding it.”

Isaac said the injuries from the crash meant he could no longer focus at school, and have forced him to put his dream of studying marine biology at university on hold.

“It has made Year 12 incredibly overwhelming and as a result, I have recently decided to lighten my workload and drop out of biology at school,” he said.

“As a result, I will not be able to gain an ATAR and pursue my plan to go to university and study marine biology next year. Instead, I am just aiming to get my Year 12 Certificate. I hope my brain continues to heal and I’ll be able to get to university eventually.”

One of the seriously injured students, then aged 16, is treated and transported by paramedics at the scene. Picture: 7NEWS

SA Police Major Crash officers analyse the scene on Kensington Rd. Picture: NewsWire/David Mariuz

Amity’s mother said she had to take significant time off from work to care for her daughter, including taking her to multiple specialist appointments following the crash.

“In the past 15 months, Amity has been healing from a number of injuries, including concussions, multiple rib and facial fractures, broken teeth, extensive facial bruising, extensive ligament damage, two surgeries as well as root canal treatments,” she said.

“Thankfully, Amity has no memory of the accident and limited memories of her time in hospital, however my memories of my shock, stress, managing her care and the pain she endured are vivid.”

Isaac’s uncle said it was a “miracle” that he had survived.

“The fact that Isaac didn’t die on the impact, as his head broke the truck windscreen before he was thrown onto the concrete, was a miracle,” he said.

It emerged following the crash that lights at the crossing were partially obscured by tree branches. Picture: Supplied

Glare from the rising sun as seen on Kensington Rd at the crossing site. Picture: Russell Millard Photography

Martin Anders, for Huynh, said his client had been seen by other drivers “distraught” and “looking like he’s screaming” immediately after the crash.

He said his client then immediately went to the aid of the students.

“There is no attempt there to diminish the wrongdoing,” Mr Anders said.

“But there was no excessive speed, there was no digital distraction, there’s no issue here about alcohol or drugs.

“The issue then is entirely upon the adequacy of the driver’s lookout. To be clear, this man had returned to driving as his full time employment for about a week and a half. He had driven that path alone for three days.

“He instructs me he was very slightly behind his preferred schedule but not late at the time.

“He saw the built up traffic ahead of him and he was aware there was a school, but hadn’t identified the presence of a pedestrian crossing.”

Mr Anders said there were two stopped cars in front of Huynh, so when he changed lanes to get in front of a bus, he drove straight through the red light.

“The lights had been red for a number of seconds,” Judge Paul Muscat said. “Am I right to say they were red for nine seconds?”

“That is the evidence and I am not in any position to offer any quarrel in respect thereof,” Mr Anders said.

Judge Muscat remanded Huynh on continuing bail to be sentenced in August.

Outside court, Huynh told the media he was “sorry”.