A MAN who killed a woman and left her daughter with life-changing injuries has been spared jail after smashing into oncoming traffic.

Michael Stewart fatally injured 62-year-old Susan Conway, from the Weymouth area, after he crashed into three vehicles in Bere Regis.

Bournemouth Crown Court heard that Stewart was “entirely to blame” for the collision when he found himself “daydreaming” behind the wheel.

On September 18, 2022, the defendant was driving a blue Mazda MX5 on Rye Hill, between 55 and 65mph, when he failed to notice slowing traffic.

He swerved to the other side of the road to avoid the cars when he collided head-on with Susan Conway’s car, which was being driven by her daughter, Annie Fry.

Susan died at the scene and Annie was airlifted to hospital with serious injuries including fractured legs, broken ribs and a punctured lung.

Annie told the court in a statement that she lives in “constant guilt” and has constant nightmares from the accident.

“Seeing my mum in so much distress and pain will live me forever,” she said.

Two years after the incident, Annie still suffers from her injuries and had to leave her job as a senior occupational therapist in the NHS.

Susan’s husband, John Conway, said on the day of the incident his wife and step-daughter ‘disappeared’ after going shopping.

After re-tracing their route he came across the accident where he was told Sue had died.

John said he “screamed and cried” as he tried to run towards the scene, adding that he left the area “lost, empty, alone and broken.”

The pair were married for 23 years and had spent the previous 14 months renovating their final home together, which John said he sold after not being able to look at it anymore.

Susan’s son, Michael Fry, said the news of his mother’s death ‘changed his life completely.’

“Telling my young children that granny had been killed was traumatic,” he said.

He added: “I cannot imagine the pain and fear she felt in her dying moments.”

Susan’s twin sister, Sally, said the loss she feels is unbearable and that ‘part of her is gone forever’.

“The day that Sue died, part of me died too.”

Susan’s mother, Molly Lloyd, said: “The fact is that he [the defendant] still has a life to enjoy but not my beloved daughter Sue.”

Prosecutor Charles Gabb also praised the members of public who helped “so valiantly” at the scene.

Mitigating, Edmund Gritt said the Stewart is remorseful and accepted that it was “completely his fault” at the scene.

Since the incident, he said the defendant voluntary stopped driving.

He added that Stewart has also cared for his mother for the past 30 years and has never moved out of their family home.

Judge William Mousley KC said Susan was enjoying her retirement when her life was “cruelly” taken from her.

“Michael Stewart is entirely to blame for all of this and will likely carry that for the rest of his life.”

He added that no sentence will be able to truly compensate for Susan’s death or provide comfort to her family.

For causing death and serious injury by careless or inconsiderate driving, Michael Stewart, aged 51, and of Millfield Road in Poole, was sentenced to 38 weeks in prison suspended for 18 months.

He must also complete 250 hours of unpaid work and will be disqualified from driving for two years.