Truck driver jailed for fatal cyclist hit-and-run

Almost two decades before a South Australian truck driver struck and killed a cyclist, she lost her father in a road accident.

Amala Paulson, 36, was jailed on Thursday for inflicting the same nightmare she experienced as a child on another family.

She was driving a B-double truck from Adelaide to Melbourne on December 19, 2019, when she struck 24-year-old cyclist Liam Batson.

Mr Batson, a father of two, was riding into Horsham city centre on Dimboola Road when hit by Paulson's truck from behind.

Paulson did not see that she had hit Mr Batson with the truck's bull bar and continued on her journey to Melbourne.

The cyclist was thrown forward and on to the side of the road. A bystander saw him lying there and dialled triple zero, however he died at the scene.

His wife Judy-Ann Batson told the County Court she had lost her soulmate. She said she did not work for two years to prioritise their two young girls in the aftermath of his death.

"She is still traumatised by the absence of Liam, disturbed by the fact that her family is now and always will be incomplete," Judge Simon Moglia said, reading her statement.

"She gets anxious and concerned when she encounters trucks on the road, which triggers horrific imagery in her head."

Paulson, who appeared in court for the sentencing via video link from prison, did not know she had struck the cyclist until police spoke to her after the crash. Officers traced her truck to a depot in Truganina.

She was found guilty of dangerous driving causing death, failing to stop and failing to render assistance by a jury in February.

Paulson came from a family of truck drivers and lost her father to a road accident in 2000, the court was told.

She told a psychologist she struggled with the fact she was responsible for inflicting the trauma she had experienced upon another family.

Paulson was an experienced truck driver, with a good driving record and no prior offences, who carried an emergency kit with her while on the road.

"I accept that sometimes drivers just don't see what they should," Judge Moglia said.

"Not seeing him in reality means that you were not in proper control of your vehicle during that time.

"In some cases, although tragically not here, timely intervention by a driver stopping and assisting somebody injured can save a life."

He acknowledged that Paulson had experienced difficulties in custody, as she is transgender, her treatment had been interrupted and her mental health had deteriorated.

Judge Moglia handed Paulson a three-year and four-month sentence and ordered she spend 20 months in prison before eligible for parole.

Her Victorian driver's licence was cancelled and she cannot get another for four years.