Budgewoi: Joel Joseph Joss high range crash with son in front seat

A tradie who was ejected from the wreckage when he drunkenly crashed into a parked car with his son, 8, in the front seat has incredibly been busted again over the limit, a court has heard.

Joel Joseph Joss, 28, of Buff Point, has pleaded guilty to two counts of high range drink-driving. Picture: NewsLocal

Getting ejected from the wreckage after “ripping” his car apart in a horrific crash on a rain-soaked road with his son, 8, in the front seat “should have been enough” of a deterrent.

But incredibly, a young dad did the unthinkable and got back behind the wheel “full of grog” and this time hit a gutter, a court has heard.

Joel Joseph Joss, 28, of Buff Point, faced Wyong Local Court on Monday where he was sentenced for two high range drink-driving offences.

The first happened in the wet shortly before 7pm on September 26 when he ploughed a blue Hyundai Excel into a parked car on Scenic Drive, Budgewoi.

The force of the collision “ripped” his car apart and Joss was ejected from the wreckage.

An agreed set of facts states his eight-year-old son sitting in the front passenger seat miraculously survived unscathed.

Joss crashed in the wet at Budgewoi. (Generic police file image: Bill Hearne)

Joss was taken to hospital where he recorded a blood-alcohol reading of 0.179.

He faced court on January 16 where he pleaded guilty and was adjourned to undergo a sentence assessment report.

Joss was awaiting sentence for his first drink-driving offence when he got busted again after hitting a gutter. Picture: NewsLocal

But the court heard two weeks later Joss had been on a two-day bender when he got behind the wheel of another car and this time came to grief when he hit a gutter.

He then returned a blood alcohol reading of 0.163.

Magistrate Trevor Khan said he may have “flippantly” told Joss not to have any more high range offences after his first court appearance.

“But here we are,” Mr Khan said.

“Tell me how community safety is met if somebody so profoundly breaches the law, and in respect to the first matter, so profoundly breaches the law with his own child in the car ping-ponging around?

“You could have killed your son, that should have been enough and then you get back in the car with a reading that’s nearly as high.”

The court heard Joss had a lengthy battle with alcoholism and lost his younger brother to alcohol cirrhosis.

His Legal Aid solicitor told the court Joss no longer had access to a car and had managed to avoid drinking since the second incident.

Joss also addressed the court.

“I do deserve to be in jail,” he told the magistrate.

“But I can prove to you that I can stay sober and stay (away) from driving and prove that my family is the most important thing in my life.”

Mr Khan sentenced him to an intensive correction order for 15 months with 80 hours of community service.

He disqualified him from driving for 12 months with a further 48 on an interlock device.