A truck driver has been sentenced to at least two years jail over the crash that killed Engadine man Drew Cullen.
Albert Cvetkovski, 44, was charged with dangerous driving occasioning death over the crash in August 2015.
Mr Cullen, 39, an off-duty Fire and Rescue NSW officer, died at the scene when the utility he was driving was crushed by a truck as he was driving across a narrow bridge on Heathcote Road at Heathcote on August 11.
He was returning home after doing a landscaping job at Beverly Hills for a friend when the accident occurred.
During a trial in the Downing Centre District Court in July Mr Cvetkovski defence argued he was driving across the bridge when he hit a pothole and that caused the steering wheel to bounce.
He then clipped Mr Cullen’s ute which was travelling in the opposition direction.
However, the prosecution said blood taken from Mr Cvetkovski after the incident showed low-levels of methamphetamine in his system.
Judge Penelope Hock sentenced him to three years jail on Friday with a non-parole period of two years.
That is on top of three months for other offences.
He showed no visible reaction when the decision was handed down while his supporters dropped their heads.
The court heard Cvetkovski was on good behaviour bonds at the time of the crash for theft offences.
He had used drugs since he was a teenager including marijuana since he was 19 and amphetamines since he was 21.
Mr Cullen’s partner Susannah Smith and his family watched from the public gallery as the decision was read.
Addressing the media outside court Ms Smith said she was disappointed that the aspect of him having drugs in his system wasn’t focused on in sentencing.
“The length of the sentence is what I thought it would be but I don’t 100 per cent agree with the reason she gave as being a deterrent,’’ she said.
She described Mr Cullen as the love of her life.
‘’He was a excellent family man, he was the love of my life. We miss him very, very much,’’ she said.
‘’His daughter is really missing him at the moment, she's three and a half now. She's speaking about him and she’s definitely missing having a dad.’’
