Beau Sanderson Dimsey, 27, of Maryborough, pleaded guilty in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to driving in a manner dangerous, reckless conduct endangering life and drink driving.

The court heard Dimsey had been drinking at the Albion Hotel and Flag Hotel in Maryborough between March 7 and 8 last year, drinking two cans of Wild Turkey, four Jack Daniels cans and a vodka mix.

Prosecutor Grant Hayward said Dimsey got behind the wheel of his Ford Falcon at 2.30am with two passengers, doing “donuts”, speeding and driving from side to side on the road.

He then left town and headed north on Pekin Road towards Timor.

The court heard Dimsey “did not slow down” on the approach to a give way sign at Timor Road.

There were no cars at the intersection, but Dimsey clipped part of the gravel while turning and swerved onto nearby grass.

The car went through a fence, became airborne and rolled onto its roof, colliding with the only tree in the paddock.

The male passenger on the back seat was thrown through the front windscreen, landing two to three metres from the car.

The passenger was taken to Epworth Hospital with traumatic brain injuries, post traumatic amnesia, a partially collapsed lung and abrasions to the face and body.

Dimsey was taken to Maryborough Hospital where a he recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.140.

The third occupant of the car was uninjured.

Dimsey told police he was driving at 60 kilometres per hour towards the intersection, remembered slowing down but then blacked out.

He had his licence suspended soon after the crash and has not driven since.

A victim impact statement tendered to court outlined the passenger’s continued short-term memory problems.

Defence counsel David Risstrom said Dimsey acknowledged he had done the wrong thing, but disputed the level of dangerous driving.

“The passenger was not scared to the extent that she would look up from her iPhone,” he said.

“There is also evidence that (the rear passenger) may not have had a safety belt on.”

Dimsey had co-operated with police and the crash had “turned his life upside down”, the court heard.

Mr Risstrom said Dimsey should not receive a recorded conviction, as he had ambitions to join the armed forces.

Magistrate John Doherty said there was no way he was avoiding conviction.

“We would debate it all day, I’m not going to do it,” he said.

“There is certainly the need for general deterrence.”

Dimsey was convicted and placed on a 18 month community corrections order and made to complete 325 hours of community work.

He also had his licence disqualified for two years from April last year, effectively an eight-month suspension from Tuesday.