‘Drunk driver’ crashes into cemetery damaging gravestones
A MAN is under police guard in hospital after crashing his high performance 4WD through a wall and into a cemetery in Sydney’s eastern suburbs. He was breath-tested at the scene and returned a positive reading.
NSW
Don't miss out on the headlines from NSW. Followed categories will be added to My News.
A MAN is under police guard in hospital after crashing his high performance 4WD through a wall and into a cemetery in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.
Police were called to Randwick Cemetery on the corner of Arden St and Malabar Rd, South Coogee about 2.30am.
Several tombstones damaged after driver ploughs Mercedes into South Coogee cemetery @TheTodayShow pic.twitter.com/Oc17ZbxGfa
— Lara Vella (@vella_lara) February 5, 2018
They found a man, believed to be aged in his 40s, with injuries to his face and abdomen. His black 4WD Mercedes was on its roof and had destroyed at least 15 gravestones.
He underwent a roadside breath test which allegedly returned a positive result.
The driver was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in a stable condition. He will also undergo mandatory testing.
“The car has travelled through the wall at high speed. It’s impacted the ground. It has flipped and landed upside down. The fact that he was able to be conveyed in an ambulance in the first place is fairly telling that he is an exceptionally lucky man,” Inspector Michael Merrett told reporters at the cemetery.
Officers are investigating the circumstances surrounding the crash and urge anyone with information to come forward.
A male witness said: “He must have been flying and got airborne to have got over that.
“There was no brake marks at all but apparently he’s alive.
“He must be from out of area and come speeding down not knowing the road splits.”
Police say the damage bill at the South Coogee cemetery, which has been in operation since 1874, will be “significant”.
A gravestone dating back to 1924 belonging to Private Andrew Knox is among those that have been destroyed.
The man has caused “a significant amount of damage” and it “won’t be a cheap undertaking in terms of repairing the damage”, Insp Merrett said.
“Some of these graves are quite old,” he said.
Insp Merrett said Randwick Council will co-ordinate the repairs and restoration of the sandstone and marble tombstones that have been destroyed. A crane will be brought in to remove the car, Insp Merrett said.
Officers are investigating whether speed was a factor in the crash and are urging anyone with information to come forward.
“We also are exceptionally lucky it happened late at night when there were no other people around so there were no other bystanders. It is a busy area. It is a busy intersection normally,” Insp Merrett said.