Keanu Carl Hussey, 22, and Matthew Taylor, 39, sentenced for drink-driving crashes that brought down powerlines
Two men have been sentenced for plunging whole suburbs into darkness when they brought down power lines in separate drunken crashes trying to get home.
Central Coast
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One man brought down power lines across a main arterial road while another made it as far as the end of his street before slamming into a power pole in two separate drunken crashes, a court has heard.
Keanu Carl Hussey, 22, of Blue Haven, faced Wyong Local Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to one count of high-range drink-driving.
An agreed set of facts states Hussey was driving a white Toyota Hiace van along Main Rd, Toukley, about 5.40pm on Sunday, April 14 when he “suddenly collided directly with a timber power pole” near the intersection of Brisbane St.
“Police arrived on scene about 5.50pm and observed the power pole completely snapped from the base and the electrical wires fallen and placed across the entire road way blocking traffic in both directions,” the facts state.
“The power pole had also landed on the fence of house number 474 providing extensive damage.”
Traffic and Highway Patrol officers were called in to divert traffic at Wilfred Barrett Drive and the Pacific Highway as the road was closed for several hours to allow Ausgrid engineers to reconnect the wires.
“The vehicle displayed extensive damage to the front passenger side with all airbags deployed and the vehicle laid to rest on the right driver’s side,” the facts state.
Hussey told police the last thing he remembers was watching the UFC 300 at a friend’s house and he had no recollection of the crash.
“The accused was highly emotional and in pain, therefore no further questions were made,” the facts state.
The court heard Hussey, a carpenter, didn’t say he had been drinking earlier in the day but told officers he had been the night before.
He was taken to hospital with a broken collar bone. Blood tests at hospital recorded a reading of 0.170.
Hussey’s solicitor told the court his client’s $10,000 van was “written off” and he expects “it won’t be long” before he is approached for the “replacement costs of the power pole”.
Magistrate Robert Munro convicted Hussey, fined him $1200, disqualified him from driving for six months with a further 24 months on an interlock device and put him on a community correction order for 12 months.
Meanwhile another man, Matthew Taylor, 39, of Kanwal, also faced court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to mid-range drink-driving.
An agreed set of facts states Taylor had consumed an unknown amount of alcohol at Wyong Leagues Club on Friday, August 2, when he decided to drive home.
He made it as far as the end of his street when he crashed his black SUV into a parked Holden Commodore about 11.45pm.
“The accused’s vehicle has continued to proceed down the street and collided with a power pole outside 33 Rolfe Ave, Kanwal, which has caused numerous power lines to drop and the entire street to lose power to their homes,” the facts state.
He was taken to Wyong Police Station where he recorded a blood alcohol reading of 0.147.
Magistrate Munro convicted Taylor, fined him $800, disqualified him for three months with a further 12 months on an interlock device and put him on a community correction order for nine months.
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