A serious high range charge at Pine Rivers
In this Pine Rivers high range drink driving case study, Boorman Lawyers appeared at Pine Rivers Magistrates Court on what our lawyer, Joshua Boorman, describes as a very, very serious high range drink driving offence. The reading was 0.264, and the offence involved a single-vehicle collision.
Thankfully, the client was the sole occupant of the vehicle, so no one else was involved, and there were no injuries. But our lawyer notes that a reading of more than five times the legal limit, together with a crash, were two obvious aggravating features that had to be dealt with.
His record and background
The client had two previous drink driving offences, although they were quite dated: one about 11 years earlier and the other about 30 years earlier.
He is 66 years old and was a professional truck driver until about 12 months before the offence. Josh explains that his life then began to spiral out of control. He had a medical episode at work and was given a permanent leave of absence, which left him with no income. A couple of months later, his wife had a serious accident when she fell into a sinkhole on a property and shattered her leg, leaving her wheelchair bound for almost 12 months.
Neither of them could work, and they were under financial stress. Our lawyer says both began drinking heavily and regularly, which made the home a toxic environment to live in.
The night of the offence
On the night of the offence, the client and his wife were arguing heavily, and it was getting nasty. To remove himself from the situation, he left the house, got into the car and started driving. About 10 to 15 minutes down the road, he had a single-vehicle accident.
Our lawyer says his motivation to leave the house at that volatile point was probably the right thing to do, but the way he went about it, by getting into the car, was all wrong. It was very dangerous, and he was very lucky not to hit, injure or kill anyone.
What was put to the court in this Pine Rivers high range drink driving case study
Josh was able to outline to the court what had been going on over the previous 12 months, how the client’s life had spiralled out of control and, more importantly, the steps he had taken to address his issues. He had stopped drinking, had been assessed and was receiving treatment from a psychologist and a doctor, and had completed the Traffic Offenders Program.
A letter from his workplace confirmed that the issue had put him off the road and out of work. There were also letters from his wife and an apology letter from the client himself. Boorman Lawyers also tendered comparative case law to assist the court in sentencing.
The outcome
The client was disqualified from driving for 12 months from the day of court, and he will have to do the interlock program after that. No fine was imposed, but he was placed on 10 months’ probation.
Our lawyer says they were surprised to get quite a low disqualification period. He believes the court took some sympathy on the client because of the hardship of the previous 12 months, while also needing to send a message to the community that drink driving will not be tolerated. The client was very relieved, and our lawyer thinks it is very unlikely he will be back before the courts.
What this case shows
A very high reading combined with a crash makes a drink driving charge much more serious. In this case, evidence of the personal crisis behind the offence and the steps taken to address it, together with comparative cases, were part of what was put before the court. Every case is different, and the outcome here does not predict any other result.
Key general information (QLD)
General information only, not legal advice, as at October 2026. Every case turns on its own facts.
- Drink driving offences: In Queensland, drink driving offences are set out in the Transport Operations (Road Use Management) Act 1995 (Qld).
- The broad penalty picture: For a first offence at 0.15 or more, TMR lists a minimum disqualification of 6 months, a maximum fine of $6,908 and up to 9 months’ imprisonment (as at October 2026; TMR notes fines rose by 3.5% on 1 July 2026).
- Alcohol interlocks: According to TMR, the Alcohol Ignition Interlock Program applies to people convicted of “high-risk” drink driving offences.
- Sentencing and convictions: Alongside the disqualification set under the road transport laws, the general sentencing law in Queensland is the Penalties and Sentences Act 1992 (Qld).
- The court process: Drink and drug driving charges in Queensland are dealt with in the Magistrates Court.
Further reading and related videos
Boorman Lawyers has more on appearing at Pine Rivers, Queensland drink driving penalties and Queensland alcohol interlock laws. Its Queensland DUI site covers drink driving matters across Queensland.
On this site, see Josh’s explainer on high range drink driving, a Sandgate high range case and a Wynnum high range case, or browse all Queensland and court town videos.
For people who are preparing to plead guilty without a lawyer, DIY DUI’s guide to drink and drug driving charges at Pine Rivers Magistrates Court (Strathpine) covers the local court and plea process. (DIY DUI is a self-help program for people preparing their own guilty plea. It is not legal representation and is not part of Boorman Lawyers.)
