A 25 year old South Australian man has been sent to prison after a crash north of Adelaide that killed his girlfriend Chloe Glasson, 23 and her friend Shakeena Abdulla, 19 and seriously injured a school bus driver.
Seth Adrian Rigney was sentenced in the District Court on Friday after he earlier pleaded guilty to two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and one count of causing serious harm by dangerous driving over the February 2, 2024 crash at Korunye.
The court heard Rigney drove through the intersection of Simpkin Road and Mallala Road without giving way and into the path of a 24 seat school bus.
Judge Paul Muscat said Rigney ignored several warning signs including a stop sign and a give way sign before the crash. Ms Glasson died at the scene. Ms Abdulla died days later in hospital and the bus driver suffered serious injuries.
In sentencing, Judge Muscat rejected the idea that the crash was a simple mistake. He said Rigney chose not to stop and described the loss as devastating for the families left behind.
The judge jailed him for 3 years and 8 months. He set a non parole period of 2 years and 7 months.
Rigney was also banned from driving for 13 years, backdated to the day of the crash. He will be eligible for parole in 2028.
The court heard Rigney had been drinking and had taken cocaine the night before but he was not affected by drugs at the time of the crash. News of the sentence brought a painful sense of closure for the family of Ms Glasson.
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Ms Glasson’s mother Belle said the result would not undo the damage but she believed the sentence would change Rigney’s life. She said it was hard to accept that he had a choice that morning.
She also said he first claimed he stopped at the sign when the evidence showed he did not. She remembered her daughter as lively, loving and full of energy.
The crash happened while Rigney was travelling in a three car convoy during a camping trip with family and friends following behind. More than two years later, the case has left two families grieving.
A bus driver is still dealing with lasting trauma. A regional community is still dealing with the loss of two young women whose futures were cut short.
