Yesterday we learned a former Launceston-based police officer would be going to jail after one mistake led to a devastating outcome for so many.
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Aaron Tasman Bonner went through a red light, on his way to a job, when his unmarked police car was t-boned causing it to become airborne and crash into two pedestrians - one of them tragically died and the other was left severely injured.
Bonner pleaded guilty to charges of death by dangerous driving, and grievous bodily harm by dangerous driving and was ultimately jailed for three years. A shocking, but not unexpected outcome.
Shocking purely because of the tragic circumstances of the situation.
Bonner was doing his job, and doing what he thought was right.
The victims - a married couple from NSW - were just enjoying a holiday in Tasmania.
There was nobody in this situation that woke up that day and wished for the outcome.
The man who was killed was mining engineer Tony Campbell, on holiday with his wife Bernice.
Tony did not deserve to die that day, and Bernice does not deserve to be living with the trauma of the incident, and without her husband and father to her young children.
And yesterday's sentencing was about justice for them.
But there are no winners.
Bonner's sentence won't bring back Tony, or change the physical and mental impact the incident has had on Bernice, or those who witnessed the horrific crash.
And in some ways, Bonner himself has become a victim.
He will have to live with the guilt for the rest of his life.
The court heard he had since been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder.
Even during her victim impact statement, Bernice took the opportunity to tell Bonner she felt for him.
"I do feel for you, for the burden of guilt you must carry with you," she said.
And it's something other police officers would be impacted by, knowing they too could have been in this very situation.
A regular day on the job, being called to an incident, where human error can prove fatal. Whether you sympathise with Bonner or not, there is a key lesson in this - life is fragile.
One mistake can cause catastrophic consequences.
As Bernice said in court, "In an instant, it was all gone".
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