Belrose woman hit by high-range drink-driving neighbour five times over legal limit ‘lucky to be alive’
Monica Mecham was fives over the limit when she ran over a pedestrian in Belrose at 9.30am in May last year. And with her facing 12 months in jail, the woman she hit has spoken out.
Manly
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A woman who was five times over the drink-driving limit when she ran over and almost killed her neighbour, has been jailed for 12 months.
Monica Louise Mecham, 56, of Belrose had a blood alcohol reading of 0.278 after a wine and vodka binge, before she headed to work in her Mercedes hatchback at 9.30am on May 9 last year.
But when Mecham, a disability and aged care worker, tried to negotiate a slight right-hand bend on Pringle Ave, her car left the road, mounted the footpath and hit Lorraine Gooden, 46, from behind.
Mrs Gooden, an avid walker, was out on her daily morning exercise to help treat a pre-existing spinal injury.
Mecham told police that she had drunk two bottles of wine the night before and had some vodka the morning of the incident.
By coincidence the two women, who were not friends, knew each other. Their homes shared the same back fence and they had spoken briefly to each other several times.
Mrs Gooden’s head shattered the car’s windscreen — strands of her hair were later found in the cracked glass — before she was thrown 10 metres into a low brick wall by the impact.
She spent 10 days in Royal North Shore hospital for treatment to a fractured left wrist and facial lacerations. She also had surgery on her left shoulder and was left with memory loss due to a traumatic brain injury.
She may still need surgery to correct weakened eye muscles and is set to have more surgery on her shoulder.
“My doctor said I was lucky to be alive,” Mrs Gooden said outside Manly Local Court after Mecham was sentenced on Wednesday afternoon.
“I still have two or three medical appointments every week.”
The injured woman, and her husband Nick and their two children Breyton, 15 and Maddison, 12, have put their house up for sale.
Mr Gooden said his wife feared going into their back garden because she might see Mecham.
“The biggest issue is that Monica lives behind us,” he said. “Lorraine has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress syndrome.”
Mecham had pleaded guilty to driving with a high-range PCA (second offence).
A charge of aggravated dangerous driving occasioning grievous bodily harm was withdrawn on October.
Her barrister Garry Jauncey told the court that Mecham had written a letter of apology to Mrs Gooden and that his client was being treated for alcohol abuse.
Her criminal record, tendered to court, showed she had been disqualified from driving for two years for high-range drink driving in 2014.
Police prosecutor Adrian Walsh told the court Mecham should be jailed to send a message of deterrence to the community.
“Her level of irresponsibility, in my opinion, is unbelievable,” Sgt Walsh said.
Magistrate Mark Richardson sentenced Mecham to 12 months’ jail, with a seven-month non-parole period.
“She’s done it before, didn’t learn last time and has done it again,” Mr Richardson said.
Mecham immediately appealed the severity of the sentence.
She was later granted bail to appeal the jail term in the Downing Centre District Court on March 26.