Yeppoon’s Aaron Sjolund jailed highway crash which killed Fraser Coast man

“I wish I hugged you tighter the day I left. I never realised it would be my last chance.” The words of a heartbroken mother spoken to the man responsible for killing her son as he was jailed for dangerous driving.

Mungar's Wade Sangwell was killed in a crash at Lammermoor on September 2, 2022.

A truck driver was seven hours into his shift when he drove more than 20kms over the speed limit around a blind bend and head on into a Ford Falcon towing a boat, killing the driver.

Aaron Leif Sjolund, 47, was headed to pick up his fourth load of sand from an Emu Park quarry on September 2, 2022, when he reached the speed of 77.9 km/hr in an advisory speed limit zone of 40km/hr when he entered the bend and started slowing down as he crossed double white lines and head-on into the Falcon.

The collision took place at a notoriously blind bend at Statue Bay where a reconstructed cliff slope, damaged during Cyclone Marcia in 2015, was on one side of the road and a drop wall descending into the ocean on the other side.

Both sides have guard rails.

The driver of the Falcon, Wade Sangwell from Mungar on the Fraser Coast, was killed instantly.

Crown prosecutor Tiffany Lawrence said Sjolund was travelling south down the Scenic Highway at Lammermoor about midday on the day of the crash.

Aaron Leif Sjolund, 47.

“As he approached the bend, his speed increased in excess of the signed speed limit,” she said.

“He went from 62.6km/hr to 73.3kms in a matter of five seconds.

“His speed continued to increase before taking the turn at 77.9km/hr.

“He reduced his speed part-way through the turn, however swerved over the double white lines.”

Mr Sangwell, 32, was driving his friend’s vehicle back to the owner’s residence, towing a boat, after a fishing trip. The Falcon owner was in the passenger seat.

“There was nothing they could do to avoid the defendant,” Ms Lawrence said.

Judge Jeff Clarke said the Mack truck Sjolund was driving came to rest on top of the Falcon while the empty trailer it was towing stopped in the left hand lane.

The Falcon’s boat trailer jackknifed and the vehicle travelling behind the Falcon, driven by Mr Sangwell’s partner and mother of his two children, crashed into the boat.

A man died following a two vehicle crash at Lammermoor on September 2, 2022. Picture: Contributed

“The deceased’s partner managed to get out of her car and sadly tried vainly to remove the deceased from his trapped position,” Judge Clarke said.

“But he had already passed away.”

The passenger and deceased’s partner were both treated by paramedics.

The passenger sustained bruising, abrasions and lacerations along with lumbar spine injury which required surgery.

Ms Lawrence said Sjolund told police at the scene he was at fault and was speeding, however, during a police interview a month later, he tried to place blame on the deceased by saying the other cars were “mucking around”.

However, she said based on the evidence, Sjolund deliberately drove dangerous for 240 metres, or 30 seconds, causing the crash.

Defence barrister Maree Willey said her client, who was a professional truck driver, had held a drivers licence for more than 30 years.

“He hasn’t driven a truck since,” she said.

Ms Willey said after the crash, he had worked as a panel beater – a trade he became qualified in after leaving school in grade 10.

She provided reference letters from Sjolund’s parents – Catherine Cavanagh and Tom Sjolund – along with Sjolund’s employer at the time of sentencing who had promised the defendant a job when he is released from jail.

Sjolund pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.

Judge Clarke said Sjolund’s parents talked about the defendant’s “sorrow and remorse”, and the counselling he underwent post accident after realising and struggling with the “irreparable harm” he had caused.

He sentenced Sjolund to four years prison, suspended after serving 12 months with an operational period of four years.

Sjolund was also disqualified from driving for two years.

Sangwell family victim impact statement:

I am Wade’s mum and I am reading this impact statement on behalf of Wade’s family and friends.

My husband and I have been together for 40 years this year.

We raised three sons.

Wade being our middle child.

He would have been 33 years old last January.

Our family has been completely shattered by this tragedy.

We still can’t fathom the fact that we will never see our boy again.

Never feel his larger than life bear-hug.

Never hear his voice or his loud beautiful laugh.

Never again.

Mungar's Wade Sangwell was killed in a crash at Rosslyn.

Wade was a dad to two beautiful little boys – the joys in his life.

It has been so awful for them.

They now have to grow up with out their dad in their lives.

All plans a father has with his sons are gone.

There will be no learning to ride that motorbike with dad.

No learning to drive that car with dad.

No dad at special life events.

It’s all been taken away from them at such a young age; taken from us all.

It’s so wrong, unfair.

It’s been devastatingly life altering for all of us.

We had family dreams, a great wonderful road map for all our lives.

Wade was living and building his home on our family acreage where we had raised all three of our sons for the past 30-odd years

His younger brother was doing the same next door, making our own happy little family commune.

We had such plans for all our futures.

They’ve been destroyed.

Every day we have to drive past Wade’s empty home.

It breaks our hearts.

He is everywhere; memories of him growing up are everywhere.

Memories of the little boy he was, growing into the kind hardworking man he had become.

I still cry nearly every day at something that comes to mind.

I’m miss him so very much.

We all miss him so very much.

I don’t grieve for him any more – I want him back.

The ache in my heart will never leave.

Life has lost its joy for me and our family.

I struggle with his loss every day and have to push myself to keep my other connections with friends alive.

It seems meaningless, unimportant.

It’s hard.

I don’t have the inclination or drive to be bothered.

Some days I feel like I can’t breathe – like a been punched in the stomach.

It’s unimaginable to me – a life without him.

Wade’s dad’s the same.

He doesn’t like life like he used to and he always laughed.

He’s become solemn.

Conversations are lacking.

His heart is broken.

Wade was his best mate – they did everything together.

They both have big loud laughs and echoed all over the farm when they were together.

That is forever gone now.

Wade was killed the day before Father’s Day.

His dad had talked on the phone before his trip.

They were looking forward to seeing each other and celebrating the next day.

But instead Wayne, his dad, had his heart ripped out.

All the big jobs on our farm, you could guarantee Wade would be helping us with slashing, chainsawing, burning off.

He would always tell us ‘Don’t worry mum and dad, I will look after you when you in old age’ and he would have.

That was our way – always helping someone.

The day he was senselessly killed he was helping someone he hardly knew.

Wade was a great brother to his younger brother, mentoring him, helping him with his business, supporting him always.

It’s so heartbreaking to see the effect this senseless tragedy has had on his two brothers.

They were all so close.

Always together as kids and always in touch with each other as young adults.

They really were close loving brothers.

They were supposed to grow old together.

Now he’s forever missing and their hearts are broken.

He had so many friends.

He was loved by many in the local community – they all miss him so much.

When I received the terrible news of Wade’ death, I was 10 hours away, picking up my 92 year old mother, Wade’s nan, up from New South Wales to live with us.

I wish I hugged you tighter the day I left.

I never realised it would be my last chance.

Wade loved his nan and she loved him.

She is heartbroken at losing her grandson.

The stress of moving combined with the stress of losing Wade and our family’s misery has affected her health even more.

Wade was so looking forward to having her close by – ‘ I’ll take you to bingo nan’ he would say with his cheeky laugh while hugging her tight.

If it wasn’t for me needing to help her, I wouldn’t get out of bed most days.

We are all destroyed.

We are angry, miserable, confused and broken.

This tragedy has changed our whole family, ruined our dreams, punched our spirits, taken the joy from our lives.

His youngest little boy has lost his spark.

He becomes anxious whenever anyone has to leave.

His mum who saw Wade killed will never be the same. How could she?

How could she ever get those images out of her head.

She never will.

She has suffered terribly.

She is struggling so much mentally and physically.

Her little boys who have to process at such an early age that daddy’s never coming home again.

I can’t stress enough how Wade being ripped from our lives has shattered us all and all our dreams we had for our family’s future.

We will forever carry an emptiness and ache our hearts that will never heal.

Wade’s life really mattered.

He should not just another name another road accident statistics.

He was a loving, vibrant young man with a great future ahead of him.

He was loved by many and he loved many.

He will be forever missed.

We were so proud of him.

So very proud to call him our son; so proud of all he had achieved.

He should still be here with us all, living his best life.

Originally published as Yeppoon’s Aaron Sjolund jailed highway crash which killed Fraser Coast man