A MOTORIST who crashed his vehicle when he was more than three-times the legal alcohol limit has been fined, disqualified for six months and will then have an alcohol interlock device fitted in his car.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Connor John O'Brien, 22, recorded a reading of 0.176 after the crash near Jerilderie along the Kidman Way.
The Gulargambone man pleaded guilty to a charge of having a high-range prescribed concentration of alcohol.
Magistrate Andrew Eckhold imposed a $1000 fine, a six-month disqualification and the mandatory 24-month alcohol interlock order.
About 4pm on June 7, O'Brien was the driver and sole occupant in a Holden ute travelling west along the Kidman Way at Jerilderie.
For unknown reasons the vehicle left the roadway and appeared to have rolled a number of times, court documents show.
O'Brien was taken to the Finley hospital by ambulance, police attended and a blood sample was taken.
In August O'Brien attended the Gulargambone Police Station and spoke to police, saying he did not remember much because he got knocked out in the crash.
He told police he did remember getting out of the ute and seeing the tyres were flat and that the vehicle was wrecked.
He said he had attended the Hay B&S Ball the night before the crash.
He told police he had received a lift to Jerilderie, arriving about 3pm, had spent about 30 minutes in the town and then driven away in the vehicle, the documents show.
In court the defence said O'Brien was employed as a full-time truck and tractor driver and his licence was of vital importance to him in that occupation.
The solicitor said O'Brien had little memory of the incident and knew he was fortunate to be facing court rather than being "in a hospital or the morgue".
Mr Eckhold noted the plea, O'Brien's prior good character and his completion of a traffic offenders intervention program.
"The accident was a nasty one and you are lucky you didn't get killed or kill someone else."
"This is a big wake-up call.
"If you come back before the court you'll find yourself in jail ultimately," he said.