Widow reveals truckie accused of killing her husband is now 'like a son to her'
A woman whose husband was killed in a horrific South Eastern Freeway crash in Adelaide is fighting to exonerate the truckie behind the wheel.
In an extraordinary turn of events, the widow says the justice system is as "broken" as the truck involved and she will fight to the bitter end for the man she says is now "like a son" to her.
In August 2014 Darren Hicks' out-of-control waste truck careered down a freeway and ploughed into three cars, killing Jacqui Byrne and Tom Spiess.
Now Mr Spiess' widow is going to war - surprisingly, not with the truckie accused of killing her husband, but with the system putting him on trial.
Mrs Spiess and Mr Hicks have been friends since she viewed the video of the truck's entire journey down the freeway, and she is convinced he did nothing wrong.
"I've got nothing against that man, he's just as much a casualty of this disaster as we are," she said.
"He's lovely, an absolutely lovely man, he's more like a son now."
Mrs Spiess says the video footage clearly shows that Darren Hicks was not misusing the brakes.
She believes that detail holds the key to proving his innocence but is furious that it hasn't been provided to his legal team.
"I'm horrified," Mrs Spiess said.
"His lawyer's working in the dark.
"I'd really like that video to come out in court."
Mr Hicks was so badly injured in the accident that he had to have a leg amputated. He is now a Paralympian.
"I'm going to support him right through, whatever it takes, whatever it needs," she said.
A trial in the District Court will cost at least $80,000, but Mrs Spiess says she is prepared to pay for Darren Hicks' defence out of her own pocket.
"Although the justice system we're looking at at the moment has got broken wheels and broken axles, more so than that truck, my measure of justice is that you've gotta blame the right person," she said.
"You've gotta go for the right person who's caused it and Darren's not it.
"I'm at peace with that."
