Drink-driving charge after Mercedes rolls backwards while driver sleeps at the wheel

IT would be funny if it weren’t so serious. Police have charged a man with high range drink driving after his car rolled back into another car after he allegedly fell asleep at the wheel at an intersection.

Police perform a random breath test.

IT WOULD be funny if it weren’t so serious. Police allege an East Gosford man fell asleep at the wheel of his stationary Mercedes while it was stopped at the lights resulting in the car rolling backwards and crashing into the car behind.

By the time police arrived to investigate, the man had fallen asleep again — no surprise police allege he later returned a high-range blood-alcohol reading.

Police allege the 56-year-old man was stopped at the intersection of Forest Way and Mona Vale Rd when he fell asleep at the wheel and his Mercedes began rolling backwards.

The driver of the car behind the man was a 65-year-old woman who sounded her car’s horn but this failed to alert the driver of the Mercedes which crashed into the woman’s car.

Police allege witnesses saw the man still seated in the driver’s seat of his car with a half-empty beer bottle next to him as they helped him out of his car.

One witness moved the mans car to the nature strip to ensure the free flow of traffic.

Police said witnesses told them the man was incoherent and appeared unable to understand what was happening.

When the police arrived, the man had returned to his car and fallen asleep.

Police noticed an opened case of beer on the front passenger seat of his car.

Police woke the man and help him from his car but allege he was unable to stand without their assistance.

The man failed a roadside breath test and was placed under arrest, at which time police allege he became agitated and tried to climb back into his car.

Police restrained the man but allege he was still incapable of standing or walking without assistance.

At Frenchs Forest station, police allege the man became aggressive but he was eventually breath-tested returning a blood-alcohol reading of .186 — more than three times the legal blood-alcohol limit.

The man was charged with high-range drink-driving and his driver’s licence was immediately suspended.

The man is due to appear in Manly Local Court on July 27.