The family of a beloved Adelaide school teacher killed in an horrific crash have laid bare their ongoing grief in court.
Bernice Sternberg was killed when John Tsalapatis failed to give way and ploughed straight through a McLaren Vale intersection in March 2021.
Her family and her tight-knit school community described the 61-year-old as a loving mother and gifted teacher.
Her heartbroken husband Ronald confronted the driver who crashed into their car and robbed him of his wife.
Sternberg told Tsalapatis saying goodbye to his sweetheart was the hardest thing he ever had to do.
The woman’s sons said she was “the glue that held everything together.”
Tsalapatis, an expert engineer, was found guilty by a jury of causing death by dangerous driving but he denied his actions were criminal.
He is asking the court to avoid jail, arguing that to continue working he should be handed a suspended sentence.
He will be sentenced next month.
