Anastasis Stegarkis sentenced for drug-driving in Proserpine court

A stepdad with meth in his system flipped his car at a busy roundabout and sent it tumbling down a 2m drop in a dramatic crash in the Whitsundays.

A drug-driving stepdad had a lucky escape after he flipped his car at a busy roundabout and sent it tumbling down a 2m drop.

Anastasis Stegarkis, 56, was driving along Shute Harbour Rd at 4.49am on July 21 when he crashed his Dodge Nitro at the intersection with Pandanus Dr near Bunnings in Cannonvale.

Police prosecutor Sergeant Emma Myors said the car had “slid out of control through the roundabout, went through a barrier rail and down a 2m drop, landing on its roof”.

Sergeant Myors said when police arrived at the scene, they found Stegarkis had small glass cuts but was not seriously injured.

The Mackay region stepdad returned a positive drug test at the scene although he told officers he had not taken drugs in the past seven days.

Anastasis Stegarkis in front of Proserpine Magistrates Court on Monday September 25. Picture: Estelle Sanchez

Sergeant Myors said further tests revealed he had methylamphetamine and marijuana in his system.

Stegarkis was driving a 2010 Dodge Nitro when he crashed at the Cannonvale Bunnings roundabout. Picture: Wikipedia

Legal Aid Queensland solicitor Rosemary Varley said the incident was out of character for Stegarkis as he had no similar offences on his record.

Ms Varley asked Magistrate Michelle Howard to consider her client was not charged for “being under the influence” but for having drugs in his system at the time of the crash.

Stegarkis pleaded guilty in front of the Proserpine Magistrates Court on September 25 for driving while relevant drugs were present in his system.

He was fined $400 and his licence was disqualified for one month. A conviction was recorded.

His sentence comes off the back of a string of fatal crashes across the Mackay Whitsundays region with 14 deaths since January 16.