A motorcyclist who caused a horror crash which killed a man and seriously injured two others on the Monaro Highway south of Canberra has told a court he wished he was the one who died.
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Joe Ciantar, 67, had his leg amputated as a result of the Royalla collision in which Raymond Solway, 65, was thrown from his motorbike and died on November 28 last year.
He pleaded guilty to negligent driving causing death and two counts of negligent driving causing grievous bodily harm.
Ciantar sobbed as five victim impact statements detailing the lasting grief and injuries caused by the smash were read aloud in the ACT Magistrates Court on Wednesday.
He told Mr Solway's family and close friends: "I wish I was the one that died and had not caused a lot of grief to other people."
"I really apologise from the bottom of my heart and wish that never happened."
Ciantar, of Sydney, had been riding south on the highway behind two other friends on motorbikes when he crossed over into the northbound lane and sped up to pull level with one of the riders about 5.10pm.
"Once he pulled level with the lead bike, and whilst in the centre of the oncoming lane, he waved at his friends and gave them 'the bird', i.e. stuck his middle index finger up at them," court documents said.
He didn't realise there were four cars coming towards him, all carrying members of one family, and the woman driving the car at the front had to swerve to avoid him.
Ciantar collided with the woman's partner, who had been travelling behind her car on his motorcycle with their teenage daughter riding pillion, and all three were thrown onto the ground.
Mr Solway, riding his motorbike behind them, was forced from the road and flung off when he hit a ditch.
He suffered catastrophic head injuries and died at the scene.
Mr Solway's wife, Kate Feeney, recalled the horror of seeing him on the side of the road and watching as a paramedic gave her partner the thumbs down to indicate he was dead.
"It was so heart-wrenching. It made me sick to the core."
The man, 40, who collided with Ciantar also had his leg amputated due to injuries sustained in the crash and his daughter suffered multiple fractures to her left foot, requiring plates and screws to fix the damage.
He said in his victim impact statement the crash had been "the end of life as it once was" and his relationships, career, hobbies had suffered.
To learn his mate, Mr Solway, had died in the collision was "f---ing horrible".
Ciantar admitted he caused the crash but strongly denied he'd raised his middle finger and said: "I wouldn't do that because I'm not an offensive person."
Defence lawyer James Lawton told the court his client had no memory of the crash and no explanation for why he crossed into the opposite lane.
He noted Ciantar's remorse and the fact he accepted full responsibility for the smash, which he said was ultimately "a tragic accident".
But prosecutor Anthony Williamson argued Ciantar had been negligent in crossing into the northbound lane without paying enough attention to oncoming traffic.
Magistrate Robert Cook will hand down his sentence next week.
