Drink driver fined after head-on collisions that cost him an arm

Ben Blachford was almost three times the legal blood alcohol limit when he crashed head-on with two cars sustaining critical injuries. He has been handed his sentence in the Magistrates court.

A DRINK driver who caused two head-on collisions and lost an arm from the injuries he sustained has been fined in the Launceston Magistrates court.

Ben Rhys Blachford, 27, from Newstead, pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle while exceeded the prescribed blood alcohol limit before Magistrate Ken Stanton on Monday.

The court heard Blachford was almost three times the legal blood alcohol limit when he drove a work car to buy a motorcycle about 11am on August 17 last year.

He was travelling in a 70km/h zone along St Leonards Rd at St Leonards when the right side of his ute crossed onto the wrong side of the road by more than a metre and collided with an oncoming Mitsubishi Triton.

The driver of the Triton managed to regain control, but Blachford continued in the oncoming lane and collided head-on with a Jeep Cherokee that had slowed down and veered to the left.

Police, fire and ambulance crews attended the scene.

The occupants of the oncoming vehicles sustained only minor injuries, but Blachford was taken to the Launceston General Hospital in a critical condition.

His blood alcohol level was tested and returned a positive result of 0.130mg per 100ml of blood.

He told Magistrate Stanton on Monday that he had been drinking the night before the crash.

He said the collisions tore his liver “in half”, collapsed both his lungs, broke four of his rib, bruised and swelled his brain, lacerate other internal organs and caused him to lose his left forearm.

Magistrate Stanton said Blachford had only been charged with drink driving, and not over the crash.

“It was the accident that lead to you being detected with that reading,” he said.

“The accident that occurred would not have happened if you had not been driving at all, which you should not have been with that level of alcohol in your blood.”

Magistrate Stanton said driving after a night of heavy drinking happened too often in Tasmania.

“You’re the one that has suffered the ongoing consequences of that offending.

“You’ll live with them continually, but no doubt you’ll learn to manage and the rehabilitation will assist you with that.”

Magistrate Stanton said Blachford had shown remorse.

The former construction worker said he was now unemployed.

He looked down and closed his eyes as Magistrate Stanton convicted and fined him $2000 and suspended him from driving for 21-months.