Michael McMahon sentenced for high range drink driving after breaking rib

“You’ve got me, let’s go, cuff me” - These were the words of one injured man who was caught trying to drive himself to the hospital while drunk after a night on the drinks.

Michael McMahon leaving Nowra Local Court.

“You’ve got me, let’s go, cuff me”, were the words of a Nowra man to police after he fractured his rib following a night on the drinks and tried to drive himself to the hospital while drunk.

Michael McMahon, 43, faced Nowra Local Court on Tuesday where he pleaded guilty to high range drink driving.

Agreed facts tendered to the court reveal McMahon, of Nowra, treated himself to eight glasses of wine, spuds and other “health food” on the evening of May 26.

The following morning, the tipsy McMahon tripped and fell over, fracturing his rib.

Rather than call for help, the court heard McMahon climbed into his car to drive himself to the Shoalhaven Hospital. However, his trip was cut short when he was pulled over for a random breath test.

Before officers could even test McMahon, agreed facts state the police men viewed his bloodshot eyes and smelt the liquor on his breath.

Michael McMahon pleaded guilty at Nowra Local Court on Tuesday.

After asking if he had been drinking, the injured man left the car and stumbled to the gutter before stating: “I’m done, you’ve got me, let’s go, cuff me”.

McMahon then completed the breath test, giving a .177 result.

“This is a matter where you blew that high at 11.15am the next day,” Magistrate Lisa Viney said in court. “You would have had to have had a lot to drink ... to still be reading that high the next morning.”

McMahon, who represented himself, agreed and noted how he was fully cooperative with police but acknowledged he should have called the ambulance, rather than attempting to drive.

When sentencing, Ms Viney said drink driving was a crime which was “far too prevalent” in the community.

“You have an average record, but you have been driving for a long time, so you should know how dangerous driving while over the limit can be,” she said. “You put yourself in danger and the community in danger.”

McMahon was convicted, fined $1000, had his licence suspended for six months and ordered to have an interlock device installed into his car for 12 months when his licence returns.