Rural fiery cops 12-month’s but escapes jail over fatal crash

A RURAL Fire Service volunteer found guilty over a crash that killed a woman and left her husband brain dead has been given a 12-month “intensive corrections order”.

RFS volunteer Ian Jeffrey Wells leaving The Downing Centre courts at a previous appearance. Picture: Justin Lloyd

A RURAL Fire Service volunteer found guilty over a crash that killed a woman and left her husband brain dead has been sentenced to 12 months’ imprisonment.

But Ian Jeffrey Wells will not spend his sentence inside a jail cell after a judge ordered it be served by way of an intensive corrections order in the community.

The 37-year-old from Kariong was also disqualified from driving for 12 months and fined $1000.

Ian Wells (left) with some of his fellow Kariong RFS volunteers in 2014.

Wells was travelling between two emergency incidents on the M1 motorway on the night of October 18, 2012, when he swung the fire tanker he was driving into a turning bay to switch from the southbound to northbound lanes.

An oncoming motorist flashed his lights at him, which Wells took as an invitation to enter the traffic, only for the Toyota Corolla to then change lanes and plough into the back of the fire truck.

Wells pulled over into the breakdown lane but another car, distracted by the tanker’s emergency lights, did not see the Corolla stationary in the middle of the road with its headlights smashed.

That car, a Mazda sedan, slammed into the Corolla just as its female passenger, Katina Mihailidis,­ opened the door and released her seatbelt. She was killed instantly while her husband Peter was left brain dead and requiring 24-hour care.

Wells after appearing in the local court.

Wells, who was acquitted of dangerous driving occasioning death earlier this year, was found guilty of negligent driving occasioning death and sentenced in the District Court on Friday­.

Wells was acquitted by a jury trial in the Downing Centre District Court earlier this year of dangerous driving occasioning death and grievous bodily harm.

However a three-day judge alone trial before Judge Peter Berman in August found him guilty of negligent driving occasioning death and making a U-turn without giving way to a vehicle.

Well was given a 12-month ICO and disqualified from driving for 12 months over the death and fined $1000 for making the U-turn.

Judge Berman said a prudent­ driver would have waited until Mr Mihailidis’ car passed before pulling out but Wells did not wait because he wanted to keep the 13-tonne truck’s momentum­ going.

He found Wells negligent for entering the northbound carriageway while Mr Mihailidis’ vehicle was approaching.

Wells was sentenced in the Downing Centre District Court on Friday with his ICO to expire on December 1 next year.

The stories you need to know