A mid-range drink-driver who had to be taken to hospital by ambulance after crashing into a guard rail on Burrendong Way has been sentenced in court.
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Jeremy Paul Adams, 36, of Gorman Road, was the sole occupant of the car, which was driving south along Burrendong Way at March about 8.40pm on August 29.
He was negotiating a sweeping right-hand bend when the vehicle left the road and hit the armco guard rail heavily, which caused the vehicle to flip and come to a stop on the other side of the road.
Adams was trapped in his vehicle for a short time due to damage caused to the doors from the crash.
After he was freed he was taken to Orange hospital by ambulance.
He would have felt affected and to go off driving and feeling affected is a recipe for a fatal car accident.
- Magistrate David Day
According to police, Adams smelled strongly of alcohol, had slurred speech and said he drank about 10 schooners of beer before driving.
A blood sample taken at the hospital returned a mid-range reading of 0.143.
Solicitor Mick Madden said Adams had completed the traffic offenders intervention program before appearing in Orange Local Court for sentencing on Monday.
Mr Madden said Adams had been out helping friends at Clergate and the crash happened when he attempted to avoid a kangaroo on his way home.
“He was offered a beer by a mate and he made the wrong decision to stay and have some more,” Mr Madden said.
MAP: A drink-driver crashed on Burrendong Way at March …
“There was a sweeping bend, he didn’t hit the kangaroo but he hit the armco at the end.”
Mr Madden said the crash and the loss of his driver’s licence had an impact on his ability to work as a tiler.
He said Adams’ car was also written off in the crash and because he was drink-driving he would not be able to claim any insurance.
There is also a repair bill he has to pay for the damage to the barrier.
Magistrate David Day said he would take into account the early guilty plea, the police suspension Adams was given on August 29, and the financial issues he faced as a result of the crash.
Mr Day said Adams got his driver’s licence in 1999 and had a good driving record and no criminal record.
However, Mr Day said 0.143 was a high reading.
“He would have felt affected and to go off driving and feeling affected is a recipe for a fatal car accident,” Mr Day said.
Mr Day fined Adams $660 and disqualified him from driving for three months on top of the three-month suspension.
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