Government worker loses job after car crash on Tanby Road, Yeppoon

A Capricorn Coast woman lost her government job after a drunken car crash led to early morning traffic chaos on a busy stretch of road.

A woman has faced court after a drunken car crash on Tanby Road, Yeppoon. Generic image.

A government employee who crashed her car while “on the way to work” drunk, has faced court.

Angela Katrina Hendy, 42, pleaded guilty in Yeppoon Magistrates Court on October 26 to drink-driving and failing to drive a sufficient distance from a vehicle in front of her.

The court heard that at 8.35am on October 4, Hendy was involved in a two-vehicle traffic crash on Tanby Road, Yeppoon, which left her car “heavily damaged”.

The stationary vehicle Hendy rear-ended sustained “slight damage” to the back of it, the court was told.

The prosecution said that Hendy crashed at speed and there was no evidence that she applied brakes, nor were there any skid marks on the road.

“The traffic flow was heavy at the time and vehicles were backed up approximately 500m from (the crash scene),” the prosecutor said.

The prosecution said the driver of the car that Hendy hit, told police at the scene: “Check what she’s been drinking - she’s definitely on something.”

The court heard that Hendy told police she was driving to work and she smelt strongly of alcohol while speaking to them, and she was unsteady on her feet, “nearly falling over several times.”

She also dropped her mobile phone “on multiple occasions”, the court was told.

Hendy was taken to Yeppoon Hospital for observation.

The court heard that while Hendy returned a positive blood alcohol content, there was no reading available as the test was still outstanding, and Hendy was willing to plead guilty to the drink-driving charge.

The was told that Hendy had previous drink-driving offending on her history from 2022 and 2016.

Police were called to a car crash on Tanby Road on October 4. Generic image.

Solicitor Myles Heath said the night before the crash, Hendy had gone through “an escalated family situation that had caused some upset”.

Mr Heath said Hendy then drank “until the early hours of the morning”.

Mr Heath said while Hendy accepted she told police at the crash scene she was driving to work, she instructed him that she was “actually going to an appointment”.

He said Hendy had resigned from her government job after this incident.

“Her licence is necessary for her work - she’s also trying to focus on bettering herself and addressing those issues with alcohol as well,” Mr Heath said.

Magistrate Grace Kahlert fined Hendy $300, placed her on nine months’ probation, and disqualified her from driving for 12 months.

Originally published as Government worker loses job after car crash on Tanby Road, Yeppoon