Martyna Kosla pleads guilty to high-range drink-driving after colliding with petrol tanker in Seaforth
A DRIVER who was more than four times over the legal alcohol limit when her car collided with a loaded petrol tanker and forced it into a rock face has appeared in Manly Local Court.
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A WOMAN who blew more than four times the legal limit after hitting a petrol tanker in Seaforth, only stopped because her car broke down, police facts tendered to Manly Court state.
Martyna Kosla, 33, of Dee Why, appeared in Manly Court on Wednesday charged with high-range drink-driving and failing to exchange details with the truck’s driver.
Her silver VW Golf struck the tanker on Manly Rd, Seaforth about 8.30pm on October 17
forcing the truck into a rock face near the Spit Bridge.
The crash sparked a massive response from emergency services who feared the tanker, carrying close to 34,000 litres of fuel, might be leaking after it mounted the gutter and became wedged against the cliff face underneath the Ethel St overpass.
The collision, on the six-lane road, occurred close to Balgowlah RSL and a number of homes.
The incident caused traffic chaos for more than 12 hours as authorities closed off parts of Manly Rd as they worked to remove the badly damaged prime mover.
In a police statement of facts tendered in court, officers said that after the collision Ms Kosla - a marketing executive - stopped her VW just ahead of the tanker “before accelerating away from the location”.
Police said a woman motorist who witnessed the incident followed Ms Kosla for about three kilometres before the damaged VW broke down at the corner of Condamine and King streets at Manly Vale.
“The witness reached in and removed the keys from the Golf and held onto them until police arrived,” the facts sheet stated.
Police arrived a short time later and breath tested Ms Kosla before taking her to Manly Police Station.
A breath analysis recorded her blood alcohol level at 0.222.
Ms Kosla told police she only had two drinks with her lunch that afternoon, but officers said her breath smelled strongly of intoxicating liquor.
Police suspended her licence immediately.
Ms Kosla, through a solicitor, pleased guilty to both charges at Manly Court on October 31.
Magistrate Michelle Goodwin adjourned the matter for sentence on December 10, pending the completion of a psychiatric report and to allow Ms Kosla to complete a traffic offenders’ program.