Russell Edward Fitzgerald sentenced in Dalby Magistrates Court for drink driving after trapping himself in road train

A Western Downs truck driver who claimed he only had ‘two beers’ before getting behind the wheel found himself trapped in the road train after crashing it along a regional Queensland road. See how it unfolded.

A man with four decades of truck driving experience found himself trapped inside the road train he was driving after consuming alcohol and getting behind the wheel.

Russell Edward Fitzgerald appeared in Dalby Magistrates Court on November 14 after he crashed a prime mover that was pulling three empty cattle trailers on the back.

Police prosecutor Chris Hutchins said the 58-year-old “lost control” of the truck while driving on Surat Developmental Rd in Dalby on September 20.

“When he lost control of the vehicle it caused the trailers to fall down an embankment,” Sergeant Hutchins said.

“It tipped over its left side and entrapped the driver.”

The court was told the man told police he drank two beers before driving, and when breath tested presented a blood alcohol reading of 0.031.

“He should know being a truck driver that zero means zero when driving a road train,” Sergeant Hutchins said.

Defence lawyer Michael McElhinney said his client, who had been driving trucks for 40 years, claimed the crash had been his only incident and that it didn’t cause delays to surrounding traffic.

Fitzgerald pleaded guilty to drink driving.

He was fined $300 and disqualified from driving for three months. A conviction was recorded.