Truck driver Sang Van Huynh avoids jail for horror Marryatville school crash

A truck driver who ignored a red light and drove through a pedestrian crossing outside an eastern suburbs school – seriously injuring two students – has learned his fate.

A truckie who changed the lives of two school students when he hit them with his truck outside a school on Kensington Rd has now avoided jail time.

In the South Australian District Court on Monday morning, Sang Van Huynh was silent as Judge Paul Muscat said he had forever changed the lives of two Marryatville students when he ran a red light in March last year.

Huynh, 61, 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.

The crash was captured on dashcam by other motorists and shows the truck Mr Huynh was driving, ploughing through the pedestrian crossing at least four seconds after the light turned red.

A third pupil also narrowly avoided being hit, while shocked witnesses looked on.

In sentencing on Monday, Judge Muscat said Huynh’s “gross inattention” could have claimed the lives of both students.

“Isaac Jones sustained a traumatic brain injury,” he said.

Sang Van Huynh has avoided jail for hitting two high school students with his truck. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

“The traumatic brain injury he sustained has required lengthy and ongoing rehabilitation.

“Both students were hospitalised with Amity Neil, spending five days in hospital before being readmitted to undergo surgery to repair the facial fractures, while Isaac Jones spent considerably longer in hospital, first at the Royal Adelaide Hospital and later at the Women’s and Children’s Hospital.”

In one of thirteen victim impact statements submitted to the court last month, Isaac said the injuries from the crash meant he could no longer focus at school, and had 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.”

Police at the crash scene outside Marryatville. Picture: NewsWire / David Mariuz

Since the crash, red light and speed cameras have been installed at the pedestrian crossing. Picture: Naomi Jellicoe

Judge Muscat said Huynh had driven through the pedestrian crossing when the light had been red for at least four seconds, but acknowledged he was new to driving that segment of the road.

“No parent ever wants to receive the dreaded call that their child has been involved in a motor vehicle accident,” he said.

“You accept and acknowledge that the responsibility lies with you to drive in a safe and responsible manner, keeping a proper lookout at all times, and you failed to do that that morning with devastating consequences.

“There is no doubt on the evidence that once you realised what happened, that you were distraught and clearly very remorseful.

“Your lookout, such as it was, was so grossly defective in the circumstances that it posed a real danger to other persons – in this case, the students using the crossing to go to school – and while you did not intend to drive dangerously, what you did was not merely an accident.”

Judge Muscat sentenced Huynh to three years imprisonment with a non-parole period of one year and six months.

However, he said the prosecutors had indicated they were not opposed to a suspended sentence, and therefore suspended the term of imprisonment.

Huynh was placed on a two-year good behaviour bond, and ordered to serve 240 hours of community service over nine months.

He was also disqualified from holding a driver’s licence for 11 years.