Southport Drink Driving Case Study: 0.220 High Range Crash, No Conviction Recorded (QLD)

Okay, it's Josh Boorman here from uh Boorman Lawyers. I'm just outside Southport Magistrates Court. I've appeared on quite a serious matter. Uh drink driving matter. Blood alcohol reading was 220. So very high reading.

It did involve uh quite a serious single vehicle accident. Uh now the matter occurred up in the Whitsundays around Shute Harbour. A client was living and working up there at the time in March 2025. um a couple of months prior to the incident, she had been going through an extremely difficult emotional period. She'd reached out to professionals. She had uh been placed on anti-depressant medication, but they were actually having an adverse effect on her.

And um uh she unfortunately turned to drinking to excess um on a daily basis. And uh on the day of this particular matter, she had received some distressing information about a a person she was dating. Uh it sent her already fragile mind into quite a spin and she uh drank an excessive amount of alcohol whilst she was at home alone. Um she then um her her regular selection of events are quite hazy. I mean she can't remember how much she can choose. She can't remember why she left the house to get into the car.

Um but she did and she drove about 300 m down the road in an erratic fashion. People there were about three or four witnesses who um uh gave uh statements to the police indicating that she was swerving, speeding, um almost caused a collision and um then ultimately she did drive off the side of the road and crash her vehicle. Now it was quite a serious crash in the sense that she was trapped in the vehicle. Emergency services had to cut her out. She was flown to um [unclear] Base Hospital and uh she gave a blood sample which was 220. Um so once that came through eventually she was charged with UIL and um she was also charged with drive without due care.

Now my client pleaded guilty to these charges. We got them transferred from Proserpine Magistrates Court down to Gold Coast Magistrates Court. She's since the offense um relocated back to where she is originally from in Melbourne. She's living with her supportive mother. Uh she flew up from Melbourne to be here at court today. We got it transferred to Gold Coast.

It's a lot more convenient place for her to attend. Now she's living interstate and the matter was dealt with here at Southport Magistrates Court today. So um there were a number of obviously a very uh serious matter a high reading involving a accident. Um it was quite aggravated. We put our hands up. We conceded to that.

Um but there were a number of positive things that our client has done since the incident. Um she's relocated back to Melbourne. She's now living with her supportive mother. She's um entered into counseling, regular counseling uh for her psych psychology and mental health state. She's also been attending smart recovery program which is an alcohol um uh prevention therapy. Um she went and completed the Queensland traffic offenders program and um and took that very seriously.

A magistrate today said that they were the most detailed uh answers she'd ever seen anyone perform in that program. So, um, uh, yeah, taken professional psychological, uh, steps, uh, alcohol prevention steps, done the traffic offenders program. She put before the court a good, remorseful letter of apology showing genuine insight and remorse over the incident. Um, she got a couple of good character references as well. Now, there was no uh there was no traffic or criminal history to present before the court today. Um, so she was viewed as a one-time one-off offense with a perfect history behind her.

That boded well for her. Um, there's no taking away from the fact it was a serious matter. It was aggravated. Uh, we were seeking a period of 12 months license disqualification um, and fines for both offenses. And that's exactly what was uh, agreed upon by the magistrate today. 12 months license disqualification for the higher range drink drive.

Um it was a $2,000 fine all up, but it was split into $1,200 for the drive under the influence and $800 for the drive without due care. Uh we also made submissions in relation to the non-recording of a conviction and due to certain um uh work industries my client wants to get back into in the future, we made a successful submission for the court not to record a conviction on this occasion, which was um uh a very good win for our client. Um she was over the moon. Um it all went smoothly. It was a difficult matter. It had been on the books for some time.

Um but it came to an end today with a very um uh good and measured outcome for our client. She's very happy and she can move forward with rebuilding her life. Thanks for tuning in here at Southport Magistrates Court.