Novak Selby cried as he pleaded guilty to crash which killed firefighter Mat Kavanagh

Firefighter Mat Kavanagh had been putting out unattended campfires when he was killed in a head-on collision during the height of the Victorian bushfires. Now, the drug driver who caused the crash has pleaded guilty.

On-duty firefighter Mat Kavanagh was killed in a collision on the Goulburn Valley Highway.

A drug driver has shed tears as he admitted to causing a deadly crash which killed a firefighter during the summer’s bushfire disaster.

Novak Selby, 46, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing the death of Forest Fire Management Victoria’s firefighter Mat Kavanagh, 43, near Mansfield on January 3 this year.

Mat Kavanagh had been a firefighter for ten years when he died in the line of duty.

Kavanagh, a father-of-two, had worked for FFMV for more than a decade and had been putting out unattended campfires before the head-on collision with Selby’s four wheel drive on the Goulburn Valley Highway in Thornton.

Selby entered his guilty plea via videolink from prison after he was refused bail in March this year.

The court heard police were concerned the Alexandra man would “go bush” if released from custody.

Selby is also charged with driving with cannabis in his system.

The bail hearing heard Selby was allegedly driving on the wrong side of the road when he hit the truck’s passenger side, killing Mr Kavanagh.

Selby was also injured and spent three days in hospital following the crash before being interviewed and arrested.

Hundreds of mourners gathered to farewell the father-of-two. Picture: Rob Leeson.

Selby’s defence lawyer told the Melbourne Magistrates’ Court today some details of the crash were still to be finalised before his pre-sentence hearing later this year.

Selby did not make another application for bail and will remain behind bars until his plea hearing in August.

Hundreds of mourners, many of those emergency services workers, packed out the Alexandra Shire Hall in January to honour Mr Kavanagh who was remembered as a hero who made the “ultimate sacrifice” in the line of duty.

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