Farm worker sentenced after running stop sign and killing passenger in horror crash at Merbein intersection

A Mildura farm worker who ran a stop sign and collided with a truck in Merbein, killing her South Korean co-worker on their day off, has been jailed.

The scene at the corner of Fifth St and Main Ave Sth where Mella Christy’s Holden collided with an Isuzu truck killing her passenger. Picture: Stuart Kavanagh

An Indonesian national working in Mildura who ran a stop sign and collided with a truck at an intersection, killing her passenger has been jailed.

Mella Christy, 31, was sentenced to 22 months behind bars, with a non-parole period of 11 months, for dangerous driving causing death at the County Court in Mildura on Friday.

Christy stood stoic as an Indonesian interpreter conveyed her sentence to her.

The court heard Christy ignored warning signs before running a stop sign and colliding with an Isuzu truck killing Jiwon Lee, a South Korean itinerant worker.

Christy and a co-worker, 24-year-old South Korean Jiwon Lee, had a day off and had planned to visit local attractions as they were both new to the area.

The pair were travelling east on Fifth St when Christy ignored a warning sign and ran a stop sign, causing her white 2006 Holden to collide with an oncoming Isuzu truck.

Ms Lee was trapped in the vehicle for an hour before being removed by emergency services. She was declared dead at the scene.

Judge Fiona Todd said Christy’s actions went beyond a momentary lapse in attention but were not influenced by speed, drugs, or alcohol during her sentencing remarks.

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At Christy’s plea hearing, moving Victim Impact Statements from the mother and father of Ms Lee had been read to the court.

“Since losing my beloved daughter, my entire life has fallen apart,” Ms Lee’s father’s statement read, adding he had to resign from his job to cope with his grief.

Ms Lee’s mother’s statement described her unbearable pain, and that she had tried to take her own life several times since the accident.

Judge Todd acknowledged the profound and prolonged grief of the victim’s family, particularly given that they were in another country when she died.

Mella Christy was sentenced to 22 months behind bars on Friday at Mildura County Court.

Christy suffered several serious injuries and spent 20 days in Mildura Base Public Hospital, including six days in the intensive care unit.

It was revealed by psychologist Carla Lechner, who assessed Christy, that she had developed PTSD and severe depression following the accident.

Should Christy become eligible for parole, she will likely be released in late December this year.