Kenneth Laurence Pillar, 55, claimed he had a coughing fit and blacked out at the wheel of his semi-trailer when it crashed into the car driven by Maria Dowdell on a narrow bridge east of Adelaide.

The crash in June 2015 killed the 61-year-old schoolteacher, and in December last year a jury found Pillar guilty of dangerous driving causing her death.

Prosecutors said the truckie had been distracted by his girlfriend in the cabin and the pair invented the blackout excuse to dodge responsibility.

"Why you tried to avoid prosecution by faking this condition is beyond me," Mrs Dowdell's daughter Nikki told Pillar in a victim impact statement to the District Court on Wednesday.

"It was such a weak and cowardly thing to do. You made it so hard for me and my family to move on.

"It caused so much unnecessary pain."

Ms Dowdell said her mother was an incredibly caring person who "gave her heart to others without expecting anything in return".

"I am so grateful for all that she taught me and for the values she instilled in me," she said, fighting back tears.

Mrs Dowdell's other daughter Kristen said she would never forget the "brutally cold" June night she found out her mother had died.

"'My biggest fear and worst nightmare had come true," she said in her victim impact statement.

"I screamed involuntarily for over an hour.

"We had our little fights but she was and always will be my best friend."

Following sentencing submissions Judge Sophie David revoked Pillar's bail and remanded him in custody.

Defence lawyer Nick Vadasz said his client understood the tragic consequences of his actions but he stood by the claim that a medical condition caused the crash.

On Wednesday Mr Vadasz said the evidence was "far from clear" and that a blackout specialist would have been valuable at the trial.

As if on cue, Pillar's eyes closed and his head rolled back in the dock, prompting Mrs Dowdell's son Julian in the gallery to clap sarcastically.

Pillar will return to court for further sentencing submissions on March 8.