Mum five times over limit when she totalled her car
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A DRUNKEN pre-Christmas car crash continues to be a painful experience for a Southside mother, who was this week slapped with a 10-month driving ban after recording a BAC five times the legal limit.
Three days before last Christmas Rachael Ann Smith crashed her car on Hilton Rd and was taken to Gympie Hospital. A blood test returned a reading of .252.
Representing herself in Gympie Magistrates Court the mother of two teenagers, who has no previous traffic history, told Magistrate Chris Callaghan she was guilty.
"I made a mistake. A big one," she said.
Smith said she had "totalled" the car in the crash and was more than $5000 out of pocket.
Asked by Mr Callaghan what she was drinking to have recorded that level, Smith said it had been "half-strength" vodka. Mr Callaghan fined Smith $800, recorded a conviction and disqualified her licence for 10 months.
In a separate drink-driving case a Toorbul man's camping trip ended with a $250 fine and one month driving ban.
Luke Damien Jenkins, 33, pleaded guilty to driving over the legal limit on January 28.
He was picked up at an RBT on Brisbane Rd. Jenkins told the court he did not think he was over the limit at the time. No conviction was recorded.
