Damon Jay Blackburn was found unconscious on a Toowoomba street after falling from his e-scooter

A drunken fall from an e-scooter left a 51-year-old bleeding and unconscious on a Toowoomba street, but that was just the start of his problems. Here’s how he wound up in court.

A 51-year-old Toowoomba man who was drunk-riding his e-scooter fell off and was found unconscious on the street, but that wasn’t the end of his troubles.

An off-duty ambulance officer found Damon Jay Blackburn unconscious and bleeding from a head wound on Alderley St about 6pm, November 4, Toowoomba Magistrates Court was told.

The ambulance officer had Blackburn taken to Toowoomba Hospital where a sample of blood was taken for analysis which showed he had a blood/alcohol reading of 0.177 at the time, police prosecutor Rohan Brewster-Webb told the court.

Blackburn told police that had been drinking wine at home and that he normally rode his scooter on the footpath and couldn’t explain why he was on the road, he said.

The 51-year-old conceded he wasn’t wearing a helmet at the time.

Blackburn, who represented himself in court, pleaded guilty to driving a vehicle other than an animal or vehicle while under the influence of liquor and riding without a helmet.

He told the court he was working as a gardener at a retirement village and that he rode his scooter “a fair bit”.

“I haven’t had a drink (of alcohol) since,” he told the court.

Magistrate Clare Kelly said Blackburn’s behaviour on this day was “beyond an act of stupidity” and told him he was lucky he wasn’t more seriously injured.

However, telling Blackburn that a licence disqualification period was not mandatory in the circumstances, Ms Kelly did not impose a period of disqualification but fined him $500 with no conviction recorded.