Christian Luke Dujela cops fine, disqualification for high range drink driving

Downing eight beers after finishing work, a 25-year-old decided to get behind the wheel and drive home, which resulted in a horrifying head-on collision west of Toowoomba.

A drink driver who caused a head-on crash after getting behind the wheel following eight knock-off beers has been slammed by a magistrate for his “appalling” decision that saw a person injured in the crash.

Police were called to a two vehicle head-on crash on Toowoomba Athol Road at Westbrook about 10.10pm on June 4, 2022, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told on Wednesday.

After arriving at the scene investigations revealed that a 2018 Ford Ranger ute, being driven by Christian Luke Dujela, had been travelling north when it drifted into oncoming traffic and collided with a car, police prosecutor Sergeant Tim Hutton said.

Christian Luke Dujela, 25, faced Toowoomba Magistrates Court on August 17, 2022, where he pleaded guilty to high range drink driving.

Dujela was taken by ambulance to Toowoomba Hospital, where the 25-year-old told police he was the driver of the ute, and about 12.40am a blood sample was taken to determine his blood alcohol concentration, which returned a reading of 0.164, more than three times the legal limit.

In court Dujela pleaded guilty to high range drink driving, which his solicitor Joe McConnell described as a “very serious offence”.

“It is a situation of good luck rather than good management that no-one was very seriously injured or worse, and beyond that my client is very fortunate that he is not before a different court facing more serious charges,” he said.

“He certainly has expressed to me how eye-opening and upsetting this accident has been for him, and also the trauma he has caused the passenger in the other vehicle as a result of his actions.”

The court was told Dujela had eight beers after work on the day, then made the “horrible” and “baffling” decision to drive home.

Mr McConnell said his client, a qualified auto-electrician, had been driving a work ute at the time of the crash, which was totalled and saw him sacked as a result, with Dujela to also face insurance costs associated with the crash.

Now working at a machine repair service outside Mackay, Mr McConnell said his client lived in Toowoomba with his partner.

Describing Dujela’s offending as “extremely concerning”, magistrate Kay Philipson said the crash could have been far worse.

“He has hopped behind the wheel of a motor vehicle after consuming eight heavy beers, and he has caused a motor vehicle accident where not only has he been injured but some innocent passenger has been injured, and it’s extremely lucky no-one was killed,” she said.

Dujela was fined $2000, referred to SPER, and disqualified from driving for nine months. A conviction was recorded.