Drink driver Casey Horton sentenced after falling asleep on the M1
A high-range drink-driver, from the Central Coast, has been sentenced in court after falling asleep behind the wheel on the M1 Motorway on Christmas Eve.
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A Springfield man who fell asleep at the wheel of his ute on the M1 and crashed into the sandstone barrier has been sentenced in court.
Casey Horton was given a nine month Intensive Corrections Order (ICO) in Gosford Local Court this week after pleading guilty to high range drink driving and negligent driving.
Facts tendered to the court state that the 49-year-old was driving on the M1 on his way to Brooklyn around 6am on Christmas Eve last year.
He was driving 90km/h in the 110km/h zone when he has fallen asleep at the wheel 1km south of Morgans Rd at Mt White.
The ute collided with the sandstone barrier that divides the north and south bound traffic causing “total damage to the front end of the vehicle”. No other vehicles were involved.
“The witness stated that the vehicle had started to swerve within the lane just minutes before the incident,” the facts read.
Horton miraculously walked away from the accident and was taken to hospital suffering a broken right tibia. He recorded a blood alcohol reading of .212.
Facts state he told police “I was driving and I did feel tired but I thought it was all right. But before I knew it, it had happened.”
Horton’s defence said Horton had been going through a stressful time in his life and had shown remorse for his actions.
Magistrate Alan Railton said the blood alcohol level was “massive”, particularly for that time of the morning.
He said the reading, paired with three previous drink driving matters, warranted the ICO which is the equivalent of a prison sentence served in the community.
“It does reflect the seriousness of the matter,” he said.
He also gave Horton 100 hours of community service.