Shane Morse family victim impact statements at fatal crash driver sentencing

The family of a Gold Coast-based truck driver faced the woman who killed him when she sped down the Bruce Hwy high on meth, driving head-on into his B-double near Rockhampton.

Gold Coast man Shane Morse, 62, was driving an Australia Post truck when he was killed in a head-on collision on the Bruce Highway near Marlborough, north of Rockhampton, on June 21, 2022. The driver of the other vehicle, Jennifer Joan Turner, was sentenced to 10-years prison on December 1, 2023, in Rockhampton District Court.

The family of a Gold Coast-based Australia Post truck driver have bravely faced the woman who killed their beloved, selfless husband, father and grandfather when she sped down the Bruce Highway while high on methamphetamines, driving head-on into his B-double north of Rockhampton.

Sunshine Coast-convicted drug trafficker Jennifer Joan Turner, 41, had lethal levels of methamphetamines when she crashed head-on into the prime mover driven by truck driver Shane Morse, 62, on the Church Hill Creek Bridge 20km near Marlborough about 4.30am on June 21, 2022.

Sunshine Coast mother of three Jennifer Joan Turner.

Turner, who was convicted in 2017 for two counts of drug trafficking and was on parole at the time of the crash for possessing a commercial quantity of drugs, was sentenced to a 10-year prison term on December 1 and declared a serious violent offender, which means she has to serve at least eight years before being eligible for parole.

Mr Morse, who was also a workplace delegate for the Communication Workers Union of Australia, died from head and heart injuries after his truck left the road and hit a tree, causing both trailers to detached and roll.

The truck burst into flames, which quickly engulfed it and the trailers.

A colleague found Mr Morse’s body partially burned metres from the truck cabin.

A special memorial service was held for Mr Morse with a tribute from the CWU filmed and uploaded to YouTube.

During Turner’s sentencing, Mr Morse’s wife Lisa, son and sister, sat in the back of the courtroom.

His wife’s and his son’s victim impact statements were read out for the court to hear.

Lisa’s victim impact statement

My husband Shane left our family home on the 20th of June 2022.

It was our daughter’s birthday and she was there with her children when he went to work, sorry he couldn’t stay for the cake, but promising the children he’d see them on the weekend at junior rugby.

He told me ‘goodbye’ and ‘see you Wednesday’.

Early the following morning, I drove my son to work driving past the beach on the way home thinking what a perfect morning, pity Shane’s at work and he can’t see it.

I took photos of the grandsons at sports carnival and sent them to Shane’s mobile.

He always took an interest in everything they did, even when he couldn’t be there.

He never got those photos.

Returning home after school sports, there were policemen waiting at my home to give me the news that would change my life forever.

While I’d been watching the beautiful sunrise that morning, he was already dead.

Killed in a burning wreck that destroyed everything.

I could not view a body.

The last possessions he touched were gone.

He deserved to come home.

He wasn’t sick.

He was a healthy 62-year-old man.

He should’ve lived at least another 20 years, but he never came home.

He was killed doing his job on the 21st of June 2022.

Shane was an honest, hardworking man who always did the right thing and would never harm anybody.

He helped anyone who needed it.

Shane deserved to retire and spend quality years with me and his children and grandchildren.

He didn’t die as a result of an accident.

It wasn’t an accident.

He was killed by someone who had no regard for the lives of other road users.

Someone who chose to do the wrong thing and put other lives at risk.

Shane had driven trucks for 40 years.

He was a professional driver.

He had an unblemished record.

Never took risks.

We never expect to lose him like this.

Shane will never see his adored grandson, granddaughters grow from the children they are now into young adults.

Never again take them kayaking, swimming, laugh with them, read them stories tell his grandad jokes to.

I have no closure.

It’s not like when a loved one passes away through illness.

Because of one person’s dangerous action, Shane died in a horrific way.

We never got to say goodbye.

I had no body to view.

None of his personal possessions that he touched for the last time that day.

For a time I even wondered ‘what if it’s a mistake?’

I will be always wondering ‘What did he see in these final moments?’

Did he even see what hit him?

Did he feel pain?

Was it quick?

Did he lie inside the truck in agony knowing he was going to die?

Did he know it caught fire and he was going to be incinerated?

These thoughts are what will haunt me for the rest of my life.

My family has been given a life sentence and our lives are irreversibly damaged by our loss.

Mr Morse’s son’s victim impact statement:

The tragic death of my father has had an indescribable impact on my life.

I was beginning to recover from being a victim of a near-fatal accident myself with dad supporting me to get my life back to as normal as possible when I was told he’d been killed while driving for his work.

I have ongoing professional support hoping that one day I can get some relief from this pain I’m feeling about that in my life.

He was such a huge figure in my life, I always turn to him for advice on everything.

I never got the chance to say goodbye.

After driving for over 40 years, we never expected him to be killed driving.

I don’t know why it’s dangerous on the road, but because he was so experienced and in a B-double, I thought he’d be safe.

I’m angry that he was killed by a person driving dangerously with no regard for anyone else on the road that day.

The result of those actions were devastating.

My kind, selfless dad killed in a burning wreck that destroyed everything.

I try not to think of how he would have suffered – the pain too great for me.

The person who caused this will still get to live a life.

My dad is gone forever and my life will never be the same.

Originally published as Shane Morse family victim impact statements at fatal crash driver sentencing