An overloaded and out-of-control truck that hurtled down Mt Ousley and crashed into the McDonald's restaurant at Fairy Meadow had the potential to be a weapon of mass destruction, a Wollongong District Court judge said yesterday. "The potential for danger was extreme. Only incredibly good fortune prevented a massive loss of life," Judge Paul Conlon said.Judge Conlon sentenced Admon Romel, 22, to two years' jail after he crashed his Ford Louisville 7000 series flatbed truck, overloaded with steel scaffolding, into the fast food restaurant on December 14, 2006.Romel was ordered to serve two nine-month sentences concurrently on two counts of causing bodily harm by wilful neglect; and two years, with an 18-month non-parole period, on one count of dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm.The Bonnyrigg Heights man was serving a one-year good behaviour bond for a goods in custody offence when the crash occurred and his driver's licence had been suspended.Judge Conlon said Romel's truck was "not insignificantly" overloaded as he drove from Yagoona to Dapto about 12.30pm that day.He should have been travelling at 40km/h down Mt Ousley in a gear low enough so that he did not have to use his brakes.However, as he began his descent he found he was unable to slow the truck and attempted to use the brakes, but they had no effect.The truck gathered speed down the mountain, reaching 120km/h, according to his passenger.The truck sped past two emergency exits designed to stop out-of-control trucks, with smoke seen billowing from its tyres.At the bottom of Mt Ousley Rd, the truck raced through the roundabout at the intersection with the Princes Hwy, colliding with two cars as it continued towards McDonald's.It mounted the footpath, smashed through a fence and into two parked cars.One of the parked cars was forced into a third car, which was pushed into the wall of the restaurant, causing it to partially collapse.The truck finally came to a halt, crashing into the drive-through section of the restaurant and another car.The restaurant was packed with small children who were either coming from or going to Wiggles concerts being held in Wollongong that day.Thirteen people were taken to Wollongong Hospital, one woman with serious facial injuries which later needed surgery.The woman told the court in a victim impact statement that she had lived in constant pain since that day.The court heard that Romel had bought the truck just one month before the crash.He was only licensed to drive a heavy vehicle with synchromesh gearbox, which was easier to handle than the road ranger transmission in the Ford Louisville Romel purchased.The previous owner of the truck told Romel before he bought the truck that the transmission was a road ranger, to which Romel replied: "What's that?"When it was explained to him that it was a more complicated gear-shifting system, Romel said: "That's all right, I'm a quick learner and my brother's a truck driver."When driving down Mt Ousley, Romel should have put the truck into the first gear in low range. The truck was later found to have been in a high-range gear.The court heard that Romel had shown remorse for his actions. He also told a psychologist that he hated remembering the crash and could not sleep. Romel will be eligible for parole on September 18, 2010.