Two years jail for drink-driver who flipped car into a creek, causing his friend to drown

A man who was drunk behind the wheel when he killed his friend in a car crash has been sentenced to more than two years in jail.

Zak Mark Anderton, 34, faced the South Australian District Court today after pleading guilty to causing the death of Ryan English by dangerous driving in August last year.

Anderton had a blood alcohol concentration of 0.134 and was travelling at speeds of up to 109km/h when his car left the road and flipped into a creek.

Mr English, 29, drowned.

Judge Jack Costello sentenced Anderton to two years and seven months in jail, with a non-parole period of two years, two days.

"Your ill-fated decision has resulted first in the tragic loss of a life and, as a consequence, the prolonged and profound feelings of grief and loss in the lives of the persons of a number of families including your own," he told Anderton in sentencing.

Judge Costello said a victim impact statement read to the court by the victim's mother, Barbara English, encapsulated the impact of the tragedy.

"She detailed the heartbreak she experienced upon being informed of her son's death," he said.

"The day-to-day physical and emotional struggles that both she and other family members have had to and will continue to have to endure because of your decision to get behind the wheel and drive..."

Outside court, Ms English said she missed her son and was glad Anderton would be serving time in jail.

"No sentence is ever going to be as great as our sentence," she told reporters.

"My Ryan was a beautiful and big-hearted man and he never ever told anyone he didn't have time for them".