Footage of the perilous near-miss was released by police after the July 6 incident on State Highway 1 at Titri, and 26-year-old Michael Douglas Henderson handed himself in the next day.
His counsel, Andrew More, told the Dunedin District Court yesterday his client had no idea the courier driver he nearly hit had ended up careering into a paddock after taking evasive action.
It was "simply remarkable" the victim sustained only minor injuries, Judge David Robinson said.
Henderson was driving his Toyota Hilux north at 6.50am that day when he opted to overtake a logging truck on a blind bend.
What happened next was captured on a camera from the truck.
Henderson can be seen passing on the sweeping right-hand turn as the courier van approaches from the other direction.
The defendant pulls into his own lane while the victim swerves left.
Court documents detailed how the woman behind the wheel then lost control, travelling sideways across both lanes and rolling through a fence into a paddock.
She suffered a strained lower back and neck, a contusion to her elbow and bruising to her head.
The victim said she spent a week off work and had felt anxious being back in the driver’s seat.
In a statement before the court, she said she felt sick every time she approached the corner where the incident took place.
The skid marks which remained on the road were a repeat reminder of the episode, the victim said.
She told the court she still struggled to understand why Henderson would have taken such a risk, a view which would be shared by the community, the judge said.
Mr More characterised it as "impulsive and poorly considered behaviour" but stressed there was no sustained errant driving.
His client had been travelling between Balclutha and Dunedin for work and he accepted there might have been a degree of complacency in his actions.
Had Henderson caused his victim serious injury or death, he would have imposed a term of imprisonment, Judge Robinson said.
On a charge of dangerous driving causing injury, the defendant was sentenced to 200 hours’ community work and ordered to pay a total of $3773 reparation.
He was also directed to undertake a defensive driving course.
"I hope every day you get behind the wheel the circumstances of your error of judgement are at the forefront of your mind," the judge said.
"Let this be the wake-up call you need."
