Kenneth Parsons will appear in the Warrnambool County Court on Wednesday

An elderly Nullawarre retired farmer who drove for about nine hours before being involved in a fatal collision with a motorcyclist will be sentenced in the county court on Wednesday morning.

Kenneth Parsons, 78, appeared in the Warrnambool County Court on August 30 charged with driving in a dangerous manner which caused a death.

He was driving a Chevy Silverado towing a large caravan east on Allansford's Ziegler Parade and attempting to turn right into a business driveway when he was involved in a collision with a motorcycle at 4.09pm on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

Parsons will be sentenced at 9.30am by judge Kevin Doyle.

On August 30: An elderly Warrnambool man who drove nine hours before being involved in a fatal collision with a motorcyclist has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving.

Kenneth Parsons, 78, appeared in the Warrnambool County Court on Wednesday charged with driving in a dangerous manner which caused a death.

He was driving a Chevy Silverado towing a large caravan east on Allansford's Ziegler Parade and attempting to turn right into a business driveway when he was involved in a collision with a motorcycle at 4.09pm on Wednesday, May 26, 2021.

Saputo supervisor Fred Van Den Broek, a 65-year-old father of three, was riding 1.5 kilometres to his Allansford home from work when the collision happened.

Mr Van Den Broek, who had worked at the milk factory since 1996, died at the scene.

In a victim impact statement tendered to the court, Mr Van Den Broek's wife Toni said her husband had not had a voice during the devastating process.

"I lost my soul mate, husband and best friend for over 30 years," she said.

"My whole world was turned upside-down. My heart was broken and shattered. What happened left a hole in my heart that can never be filled."

Mrs Van Den Broek said she was unable to work much because she struggled to look after herself.

She said her husband was her friend and the love of her life.

"There are times when I just want to be with Fred and take my own life," she said, explaining she had to sell the family property.

Mrs Van Den Broek said the impact of the accident was immense.

She said she no longer lived the life she and Fred had planned and she missed his wicked sense of humour.

"It's impacted me more than anyone will know. I find it hard to find my smile now," she said.

Mr Van Den Broek's best friend Leigh Dance said in his victim impact statement they had met in grade four in 1965 when they were nine years old and they sat together.

He said that friendship continued throughout their lives.

They were best men for each others' weddings and rode motorbikes across Australia and in the United States.

He said they hadn't had a harsh word in 54 years and they would solve the world's problems over a coffee after a motorbike ride.

Mr Dance said he was distraught after seeing his friend at the accident scene.

"To see him lie there, broke my heart," he said.

Parsons' barrister Sam Norton said sadness permeated the case.

"Plainly it's a tragedy," he said, explaining his client was deeply impacted by the accident.

Parson's wife Pamela told the court her son Anthony was killed just after his 21st birthday in 1992.

He had worked on an oil rig off the south-west coast and followed the rig to Millicent when offered a job.

"They were only there a few days. They were travelling to work and the vehicle from the rig, the other workers, collided with their vehicle," she said.

"On impact six of the workers died at the scene. One survived to go to hospital. Anthony died at the scene. It was just after his 21st birthday."

Mrs Parsons said Anthony's death had a horrible impact.

She said after his own accident her husband was greatly worried.

"We had been there and knew some of what they (Mr Van Den Broek's family) were experiencing," she said.

"He realised he caused the death of this man. He became very tense and short with me. He just wasn't himself.

"He was very different, very different indeed. He knew the tragedy he caused."

Prosecutor Andrew Moore told the court it was a head-on collision, captured on CCTV footage of the business where Parsons was heading to get a wheel alignment for his caravan.

He said it was not a typical fatigue case but made up part of the circumstances of the day.

He said what happened was momentary inattention on Parsons' part and his activities that day - including the duration and distance he had driven - offered an explanation for the momentary lapse.

The court was told Mr Parsons, a retired farmer, who now lives in Warrnambool, but attends his family's Nirranda South farm most days, had no alcohol or drugs in his system at the time.

Mr Moore said visibility was good at the time when the accident happened on a flat stretch of road in a 100kmh zone.

He told the court that morning Parsons had driven from Warrnambool to Yarra Junction to collect a caravan, which had been modified so it could be towed by the Chevy.

He had driven for more than nine hours and 660 kilometres, by the time he was in Allansford.

Mr Moore said Parsons was required while turning right into the business to giveway to all vehicles.

He said the business owner had witnessed Parsons turn into the path of the motorcycle.

The court heard Parsons told police: "I was just bringing the caravan in to get a wheel alignment. I just pulled across in front of him."

Tests showed Parsons hit the brakes three seconds before the impact when he was travelling at between 15 and 23km/h.

The court was told Parsons said he had never seen the motorbike.

"I was looking to the right to go on. I checked the road. I don't know where the motorbike came from. I was looking for vehicles. I had a decent look," he said.

The maximum penalty for the offence is 10 years' imprisonment.

Parsons has no prior court appearances and his licence must be cancelled for 18 months.

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