A young man was over the legal alcohol limit and had two illicit drugs in his system when he crashed his car into a tree, resulting in injury that required surgery.
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The man pleaded guilty in the Bendigo Magistrates' Court this week to exceeding the prescribed concentration of alcohol and drugs.
The court heard a passer-by called triple zero after finding a vehicle crashed into a tree on the Old Boort Road at Serpentine about 7.30am September 2 last year.
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The man was airlifted to the Royal Melbourne Hospital, suffering a laceration on his head, bleeding on the brain and a broken femur.
A blood test revealed his blood alcohol concentration was 0.074 and he had both methamphetamine and MDMA in his system.
Police later interviewed the man, but he was unable to recall the incident or the events leading up to it due to a head injury.
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The man underwent surgery on his leg and stayed at the Royal Melbourne Hospital until September 7.
He was then transferred to Bendigo Health and stayed there for a further two and a half weeks.
Defence lawyer Robert Morgan said his client had no relevant prior offences, describing the incident as "a complete and absolute aberration".
He said the man's last memory was from 7.30pm the night before, at which point he had consumed one alcoholic drink.
Mr Morgan assured the court such offending would not happen again.
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"He is stunned, shocked to the core - it has scared the living daylights out of him," he said of his client.
Mr Morgan asked the magistrate to consider a good behaviour bond with a road trauma awareness course.
Magistrate Bruce Cottrill told the young man of the heart-rending experience of looking into the eyes of people who had lost a loved one to road trauma.
"It is simply a miracle you didn't kill yourself or someone else," Mr Cottrill said.
He warned the man he would likely face imprisonment if he were to offend again.
Mr Cottrill cancelled the man's licence and disqualified him from driving for 12 months.
The man was placed on a 12-month adjourned undertaking, or good behaviour bond, and ordered to make a $1000 donation to the Serpentine CFA.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
