Jail, then bail, for Helensburgh hit-and-run driver

Talia Jade Van Rysewyk was driving along a quiet stretch of the Old Princes Highway just before 6.30am on January 5 last year when she collided with Cronulla cyclist Brendan Braid, flinging him from his bike.

The 58-year-old accountant suffered serious injuries, but Van Rysewyk did not stop to help him, instead driving from the scene in her damaged Ford Laser.

Two cyclists found Mr Braid a few minutes after the collision and called emergency services.

Van Rysewyk was arrested about a week later following investigations by police.

In Kiama Court last Thursday, defence lawyer John Lo Schiavo asked magistrate Geraldine Beattie to spare Van Rysewyk from jail, saying her manner of driving immediately before the collision did not involve any type of street racing or speeding, and that the accident had occurred in a moment of inattention.

He said her decision not to stop and help the injured Mr Braid was "inexcusable".

However, he pointed to psychological reports examining Van Rysewyk's background as evidence she had a "predisposition to flight" when confronted by difficult situations.

But Ms Beattie said Van Rysewyk must have known she had hit Mr Braid, meaning that her failure to stop had amounted to "leaving him for dead".

She assessed Mr Braid's injuries as being at the top end of the scale, noting he had a loss of peripheral vision that meant he could no longer drive, and reduced cognitive processing meaning he could no longer work as an accountant.

Van Rysewyk was given an overall jail term of 18 months. Her nine-month non-parole period will expire in February next year.

Mr Lo Schiavo immediately lodged a severity appeal on behalf of his client and sought her release on bail.

Ms Beattie granted the bail application, ordering Van Rysewyk to live at an address in Kirrawee and report to police three times a week.

She was also banned from driving for three years.