Joshua Anderson (19), of Taieri Beach, was killed when the Honda car in which he was a passenger struck a tree near Mosgiel, partly throwing him from the car and trapping him between the upturned car and a roadside drain on April 27.
His father, Duncan Anderson, said yesterday's sentence of two years and two months' jail for the car's driver, Cameron James Thomas (19), of Mosgiel, brought ''a bit of closure'' to the family.
''It's good that it's over ... it's been quite difficult on the family going through the process,'' Mr Anderson said.
Thomas was sentenced in the Dunedin District Court by Judge Michael Crosbie yesterday.
He was found to have a 699mcg breath-alcohol reading, almost 1.75 times the legal limit.
Mr Anderson was pleased with the sentence, although he empathised with Thomas' family.
''I would have been quite upset if he got a sentence of home detention,'' he said.
''One of my main reasons for wanting a sentence of imprisonment was for the friends, peers and the community to see it's not OK for you to drink and drive and kill your mates.''
He felt two families had suffered the tragedy together.
''They are just as much victims as we are in a different way,'' he said, of the Thomas' family.
"I do feel sorry for them. Their son did what he did ... it's not their fault for what he did.''
Outside the court, the defendant's older brother, Hayden Thomas, also told the Otago Daily Times he hoped his brother's imprisonment would send a clear message to others.
''I hope this gets the point across about drink-driving,'' he said, clearly upset.
Mr Anderson said the justice process had been ''very challenging'' for all involved.
''I don't wish it upon anyone,'' Mr Anderson said.
''It's made the grieving side of things a bit harder. Now I feel we can get past that and move on.''
The Anderson family was still ''quite upset'' and had struggled to move on from Joshua's death.
''It is very raw - it's not an easy thing to deal with,'' he said.
Throughout his sentencing, Thomas stood silently in the dock, his hands clasped behind his back and his eyes fixed to the front of the courtroom. He was accompanied by friends and family, some of whom were tearful following the sentence.
