Elderly driver sentenced over fatal Yalca crash

Mr Gordon was 24 years old when Stojadinovic’s car drove through a stop sign and hit the truck he was driving at Yalca on February 7, 2023.

Stojadinovic was jailed in the Melbourne County Court over the crash.

The court heard Mr Gordon was driving a Hino truck east on the Murray Valley Hwy when Stojadinovic failed to stop his Kia Sorrento at a stop sign when approaching the highway from the north on Waaia-Bearii Rd.

Stojadinovic, who was 75 at the time, hit Mr Gordon’s truck, sending it crashing into trees on the side of the road.

Stojadinovic had driven past two warning signs saying ‘reduce speed’ and ‘major highway ahead’ about 350m before the intersection, as well as a ‘stop sign ahead’ sign 230m from the intersection, and stop signs at the intersection.

Mr Gordon died in the crash, while Stojadinovic’s passenger — a woman in her 70s for whom he was a carer — was flown to hospital in Melbourne with life-threatening injuries.

Stojadinovic was taken to Goulburn Valley Health and later flown to a Melbourne hospital.

Defence barrister Hugo Moodie said his client’s moral culpability for the crash was at the “lower end of the scale” and it was the result of “momentary inattention”, and not speeding or alcohol.

He had asked that Stojadinovic not be jailed as he did not have any prior convictions, and was of “advanced age”.

He also said he had assisted police in their investigation by telling them he “may have had a micro-sleep” and was now seeing a sleep specialist, including starting using a CPAP machine.

It was not enough for the judge to rule there were any special circumstances to keep him out of jail.

Stojadinovic was sentenced to 15 months in jail, with six months to be served before he becomes eligible for parole.

On release he will have to complete a three-year community corrections order, which will include 100 hours of community work.