Ryan Murray Johnstone: Drunk driver ‘nearly dies’ after crashing car

A Southern Downs father was nearly four times the legal alcohol limit when he swerved onto the wrong side of a major highway before crashing.

A Stanthorpe man who was nearly four times the legal alcohol limit when he swerved onto the wrong side of the highway and crashed claims he “nearly died” from his injuries.

Ryan Murray Johnstone was driving along Texas Road just after midnight on November 4 last year when he came around a corner at speed.

Stanthorpe Magistrates Court heard the 34-year-old crossed onto the wrong side of the road, then overcorrected and ran his car off the road into the bushes.

Police prosecutor Ken Wiggan said the Stanthorpe man was rushed to hospital with extensive injuries.

Johnstone later returned a blood alcohol concentration of 0.186, and told police he only remembered driving at about 110km/h before the crash.

The self-represented Stanthorpe man told the court he “nearly died” as a result of his injuries, and claimed he had already been punished for his actions by losing his licence on the spot.

“The accident happened just out of town there on a pretty secluded road late at night and there was no one else involved,” he said.

Magistrate Julian Noud said the father-of-two was lucky to not be charged with dangerous driving or something more serious.

“Lives are ruined by those who commit these types of offences. The community are sick and tired of (it),” he said.

“You are fortunate that you didn’t kill yourself or anyone else. Your children are fortunate that they were not in the car.”

Johnstone pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence of liquor.

He was fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for 12 months.