Judge Patricia Smyth made the comment as she sentenced 28-year-old John O’Hagan at Antrim Crown Court.
O’Hagan, from Maybrook Park, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Loreto Douglas by driving carelessly on the A6 Glenshane Road in Dungiven on November 23, 2016.
Ms Douglas was a former member of the Sisters of Mercy Order in Derry and a founding member of family support charity Lifestart Foundation, where she worked since 1986.
O’Hagan also admitted causing grievous bodily injury by careless driving to a man and a woman, who sustained ‘life changing’ injuries as a result of the crash.
The court heard that shortly after 9.10am on the date in question two vehicles were stationary on the inside Belfast bound lane of the A6, close to the entrance of the Ponderosa.