Sunshine Coast drunken crashes that have featured in court
A tradie who smashed into a Coolum Beach bus stop while six times the limit is just one of several drunken Sunshine Coast crashes that narrowly avoided tragedy.
Police & Courts
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From an 18-year-old teenager who caused $100,000 of damage to an apartment complex to a 30-year-old labourer who fled a drunken crash, there have been some close calls on the Sunshine Coast.
State road statistics reveal there have been 271 fatalities on Queensland roads from January 1 to December 19.
This is a dramatic 12.6 per cent rise in deaths since 2020 in the lead up to the Christmas period.
In an interview with the Sunshine Coast Daily the Forensic Crash Unit’s Evan Condon said drivers needed to take their time planning a trip this Christmas due to the rising fatality rate in Queensland.
“The flow on effect for not only the victims but their family members just because of someone‘s brief or protracted inattention can have long term effects on those persons involved,” Acting Sergeant Condon said.
Countless Sunshine Coast drink drivers have faced court in 2021 for their involvement in intoxicated crashes.
Many have resulted in injuries and write-offs and have almost had fatal consequences.
Here are 11 drunken crashes caused by Sunshine Coast drivers exposed.
CONVICTED
Thomas William Dillon flees drunken car crash in Kenilworth
A 30-year-old construction labourer received a jail sentence after he drunkenly fled to his mum’s place after being involved in a car crash.
Police were called to Anne Street, Kenilworth about 6pm on Thursday, September 16 after Thomas William Dillon’s car clipped a vehicle.
Dillon then fled the scene.
The Maroochydore Magistrates Court heard the 30-year-old Cooloola man had been drinking at the Kenilworth Hotel beforehand.
Police prosecutor Lee Allen said Dillon was found at his mum’s place at 8.20pm where he refused to undergo a breath test.
Senior Constable Allen said he again failed to provide a sample of his breath at the Maroochydore Police Station where he was charged.
Dillon pleaded guilty to drink driving and failing to provide a sample of breath and was sentenced to three months’ jail, suspended for nine months.
He was also fined $1500 and disqualified from driving for two years.
Convictions were recorded.
Joel William James Roberts blames police for drunken crash into pedestrian walkway
A 21-year-old Bli Bli man said he had done nothing wrong and blamed police for distracting him when he crashed into a pedestrian walkway while under the influence of alcohol.
Joel William James Roberts was fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for 10 months in Noosa Magistrates Court after he pleaded guilty to driving under the influence on September 18.
Police prosecutor Pedau Grabbe said police saw Roberts drive over a raised traffic island before he crashed into the pedestrian boardwalk near Noosa Drive.
She said Roberts’ car’s airbags deployed when he hit the walkway, which was badly damaged as a result of the crash.
Roberts, who told police he knew he was over the limit, blew a blood alcohol reading of 0.108 after the accident.
A conviction was recorded.
Daniel Malcolm Ritchie pleads guilty to drink driving into Mount Coolum bus stop
A tradie was so drunk a police officer said he seemed he was trying to find the street when he crashed his company car into a bus stop, a court has heard.
Daniel Malcolm Ritchie, 32, was fined $1500 and ordered to pay $1246 restitution for the bus stop in the Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Thursday.
Ritchie returned a blood-alcohol content of 0.305 per cent at a police station after his arrest on October 19 and was rushed to Nambour Hospital.
Ritchie pleaded guilty to drink driving and driving without due care and attention and was disqualified from driving for 13 months.
Convictions were recorded.
Family lucky to be alive after Layla Janice Lee Kelk collided head on while driving on drug ‘cocktail’
A 23-year-old was under the influence of a “cocktail” of drugs and alcohol when she crashed head on into a family driving on the opposite side of the road, a court has heard.
Layla Janice Lee Kelk was driving under the influence at 8.18am on June 19 in Noosaville when she lost control of her car and sideswiped a tree before swerving onto the wrong side of the road where she hit a family car.
“Police attended and located two vehicles crashed head to head … (Kelk’s) vehicle was on the incorrect side of the road and had collided with a Subaru that contained a family of four,” Police prosecutor Pedau Grabbe said.
Constable Grabbe told Noosa Magistrates Court Kelk had also ran up the back of the car in front of her before driving off the road.
Constable Grabbe said Kelk had a blood alcohol reading of 0.134 per cent and had a number of prescription medications in her system at the time of the crash.
Kelk pleaded guilty in Noosa Magistrates Court to driving under the influence and driving without due care and attention.
Kelk was fined $1400 and was disqualified from driving for 12 months, with convictions recorded.
William Zachery Brown lost control and flipped his car driving home from Noosa’s Rolling Rock nightclub
A young miner has been punished after flipping his car driving home from a nightclub session in Noosa.
William Zachery Brown, 20, was forced to climb out of his car after he lost control and flipped into an embankment in Tewantin at 2:40am on September 4.
Police prosecutor Phillip Stephens originally told the court the car had flipped multiple times but later conceded the car had flipped onto its side stopping in an embankment.
“Police arrived at the incident location and observed the driver climbing out of the passenger side door as the vehicle … was resting on its side,” he said.“
“He (Brown) said he was not driving to road conditions at the time which contributed to the crash.”
The Cooroy man returned a blood-alcohol reading of 0.058 per cent after the crash.
Brown pleaded guilty in Maroochydore Magistrates Court on Friday to driving without due care and attention while over the general alcohol limit.
Brown was disqualified for 1 month and fined $550.
A conviction was recorded.
Michael Jerome O’Brien ‘incapable’ of walking after Noosa crash
Witnesses had to remove bottles of alcohol and take away a “heavily intoxicated” driver’s car keys until police arrived, a court has heard.
Michael Jerome O’Brien, 61, lost his licence for more than a year after he pleaded guilty to one charge of failing to supply breath specimen for a test and high-range drink driving.
O’Brien was charged on July 16 after police were called to a crash at Noosaville and found him sitting in his car, where he “appeared to be heavily intoxicated”.
Magistrate Haydn Stjernqvist fined O’Brien $900 and disqualified him from driving for 15 months.
Convictions were recorded.
Terry David Atherton owes $36k after drunken smash with truck on Coast highway
A Coast father was almost four times over the alcohol limit when he crashed into a semi-trailer and smashed into concrete bollards on a Coast highway.
Terry David Atherton caused $36,000 in damage when he collided with a truck travelling in the southbound lanes on the Bruce Highway in Black Mountain on November 3, last year.
His $5000 car was written off during the crash.
“A semi-trailer towing two trailers was in the left hand lane and a Mazda sedan being driven by … (Atherton) collided with the side of the rear trailer, causing his vehicle to spin out of control and collide with the truck trailers and centre concrete bollards,” police prosecutor Alison Johnstone said.
Sergeant Johnstone told Noosa Magistrates Court Atherton later recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.190.
Atherton pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence.
Mr McLaughlin fined the “normally good driver” $500 and disqualified him from driving for 10 months.
A conviction was recorded.
Gavin Reece Cobb crashes into parked car
A 56-year-old Coolum Beach pool builder said there has been some embarrassment in his street after he crashed into a parked car while nearly four times the limit.
Gavin Reece Cobb had crashed into the stationary vehicle on his street on the evening of November 6 after a night at the local bowls club.
Cobb later returned a reading of 0.198 per cent.
He pleaded guilty to drink driving and was disqualified from driving for 10 months and fined $1200.
Convictions were recorded.
NOT CONVICTED
Makayla Kate Matt-West crashes car into Sunshine Beach pool
A glamorous 18-year-old Cooran teen has faced court after crashing her car into a pool while drunk and on party drugs causing six-figure damage to a beachside unit block.
Sunshine Beach apartment residents on Park Cres were awakened by a crash about 3.30am on October 17 after Makayla Kate Matt-West ploughed her car through a block wall and into their pool.
Noosa Magistrates Court heard Matt-West had been drinking in Noosa Heads and was on her way home before the accident.
The teenager pleaded guilty to drink driving and was fined $600 and disqualified from driving for six months.
No conviction was recorded.
Boreen Point chef pleads guilty to drunken crash along Lake Flat Road
A Boreen Point camp chef who was boozed up after work was found by police after he rocketed over a speed sign into a tree.
Community members called triple-0 after Stefan Anthony Gray crashed along Lake Flat Road in Boreen Point on the evening of October 7.
Police prosecutor Pedau Grabbe said Gray’s car was found next to a tree that was broken at the base on the side of the road with skid marks leading up to it.
Noosa Magistrates Court heard the canopy of the tree was next to the car with the front left wheel completely detached.
Gray later returned a blood-alcohol content reading of 0.177 per cent
Gray pleaded guilty to drink driving and was fined $1000 and disqualified from driving for six months.
No conviction was recorded.
Taylah Jade Heighway crashes car in Peregian Beach
A teenage driver was lucky to escape her own drunken crash after she rocketed into two parked cars in Peregian Beach while more than three times the limit.
Taylah Jade Heighway, 19, was fined $1500 and disqualified from driving for six months after her crash on David Low Way on August 30.
The court heard the Maroochydore woman failed to negotiate a bend about 11.30pm and smashed into two parked cars.
Senior Constable Burrell said Heighway was taken to hospital after the incident where she returned a BAC reading of 0.177 per cent.
The teenage barista pleaded guilty to drink driving and driving without due care and had no convictions recorded.
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