Jail for WA fatal crash drug-driver

A 25-year-old drug-driver who crashed while speeding away from police in regional Western Australia, then climbed over his fatally injured passenger in a bid to flee, has been jailed for nine years.

Brandon Rhys Peterson had been disqualified from driving, was high on methamphetamine and had a sawn-off rifle and 139 rounds of ammunition in his unregistered car, which police spotted parked on a Kalgoorlie street in March last year.

Police tried to approach Peterson but he reversed then accelerated heavily, spinning the wheels and sliding sideways, before speeding off.

Officers chased him but aborted the pursuit after he went through a stop sign.

Peterson then went through another intersection at up to double the speed limit and t-boned a car, slamming it sideways into a stop sign.

Father-of-one Joshua Polo, 27, was a back seat passenger, and suffered chest and abdominal injuries.

With the front of Petersen's car crushed, he couldn't open the driver's side door, so he climbed over the top of Mr Polo, but police grabbed him before he could get out the door.

Mr Polo died in hospital.

"Your conduct has left his partner a widow with a child who was only 11 months old at the time of the offending," Supreme Court of WA Justice Joseph McGrath said on Thursday.

Petersen's partner, who was the front seat passenger, was also injured.

The court heard Peterson had 0.83 milligrams of meth per litre of blood in his system.

He racked up 18 convictions in Tasmania for driving without a licence - which he has never held - plus two drink-driving convictions.

In WA, he was caught driving without a licence seven times.

Mr Polo's family wept as Justice McGrath handed down the sentence.

"We as a family collectively believe there are no winners in a case like ours," Mr Polo's mother Jodie Brown said in a statement.

"Nothing will bring our boy back and we respect that there are family members on the defendant's side that are suffering too.

"There is no win here but we hope this verdict will become a precedent for future trials as unfortunately another family will go through this."

Peterson pleaded guilty to manslaughter and dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm under the influence of drugs, and said through his lawyer he was remorseful for killing Mr Polo and shattering the lives of his family.

He was disqualified from driving for life and must serve at least four years and six months behind bars before he will be eligible for parole.

He has been in custody since the crash and has tested positive for meth and cannabis during that time.