An experienced bus driver whose momentary negligence caused the death of a man and his two-year-old daughter in a crash south of Hobart has avoided jail.
Christine Helen Chatterton was handed a three-month suspended sentence in Hobart Magistrates Court on Friday over the collision in August 2020.
Chatterton applied excessive brake pressure on a sweeping bend, causing the wheels to lock and the 1999 Hino passenger bus to skid into an oncoming lane.
It collided with a sedan being driven by a 42-year-old man, who was killed along with his daughter.
Chatterton, a bus driver with more than 37 years of experience, had previously been found guilty of two counts of causing death by negligent driving.
Magistrate Marica Duvnjak ruled Chatterton's culpability was at the lower end of the scale, noting she was not affected by drugs or alcohol, was not speeding and was keeping a "proper lookout".
"(She) kept safe distance, as to have sufficient time to reduce speed. However, she did break excessively," Ms Duvnjak said.
"The act was only a momentary one. It was a momentary action that gave rise to serious consequences."
She said Chatterton had been significantly impacted by the crash, avoids the area and has relinquished her bus licence because she is no longer confident in her driving ability.
Ms Duvnjak described the circumstances of the case as unusual.
She said victim impact statements from the man's widow and mother expressed their "immeasurable" sadness and grief.
"No sentence ... could ever be the measure of the lives lost," Ms Duvnjak said.
Chatterton agreed to take a fill-in shift for a school run on the day of the accident and had driven the route before, although not for "some time".
She tried unsuccessfully to bring the bus under control.
Chatterton, who the court was told had never previously been involved in an accident, was ordered to pay court costs of $90.
