Leonard Walker, ​68, of Patterson Street, Warrnambool, ​pleaded guilty in the Warrnambool Magistrates Court to careless driving and failing to wear a seat belt.

He was not convicted​ and ​placed on a good behaviour bond until April 9 next year with the condition he pay $200 to the court fund.

Police said that at 1.40am on June 16 that Walker was driving a garbage truck south on the Hopkins Highway at Purnim when he drifted onto the left shoulder of the road, over corrected, the truck ​then ​swung across the road and collided with trees.

When interviewed Walker said th accident was a blank. 

Defence counsel Alex McCulloch said his client had no prior court appearances and before driving the garbage truck he had spent 30 years driving buses. 

Magistrate Cynthia Toose said that perhaps Walker had not be paying sufficient attention for a fraction of a second which led to the accident.