A killer driver has been spared time behind bars after a judge found he felt "palpable" remorse for causing a fatal crash near Braidwood.
Volunteer firefighter Matthew Joseph Reeves, 42, received a 22-month intensive correction order in the NSW District Court on Friday.
The Araluen man had previously pleaded guilty to a charge of dangerous driving occasioning death in relation to the crash that killed Annmarie Rosengren.
Judge Peter Whitford SC said the offender was travelling "marginally above" the 100kmh speed limit on Cooma Road, at Bendoura, when the crash occurred in February 2022.
The more significant element of Reeves' dangerous driving was that he drifted out of his lane while rounding a bend, partially crossing onto the wrong side of the road.
His Mitsubishi Triton consequently "side-swiped" Mrs Rosengren's vehicle as it travelled in the opposite direction, forcing her Mitsubishi Prado off the road and killing her.
Judge Whitford said forensic psychiatrist Richard Furst had expressed a view that Reeves' attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder was causally linked to the crime.
But the judge said it was not possible to make a conclusive finding about that.
In any event, Judge Whitford said Reeves had not been affected by drugs or alcohol, and had not been using his phone while driving, meaning his moral culpability was low.
He also noted Reeves had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder in connection with the crash, with the "palpable depth" of his remorse clear to the court.
Judge Whitford said the married father, who has a nine-month-old baby, worked full-time as an earthmoving contractor and acted as the primary carer for his elderly stepfather.
The 42-year-old was assessed as being unlikely to reoffend.
On the other side of the equation was the family of Mrs Rosengren, whose "immeasurable" loss was acknowledged by the court.
"No human life can ever be equated by a term of imprisonment," Judge Whitford said.
"No sentence can return a loved one and life simply should not be measured by a sentence imposed on an offender."
The judge ultimately warned Reeves he would risk being required to serve his sentence behind bars if he failed to comply with the conditions of his intensive correction order.
Judge Whitford also ordered Reeves to perform 300 hours of community service, and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.
