Drink-driver flipped car by crashing into lamppost
AWOMAN flipped her car onto its side by drunkenly crashing into a lamppost outside a hospital.
Siobhan Parry, of Pine Crest, Aughton, was more than twice the drink-driving limit when she flipped the car after a row with a man she had planned to spend the night with.
Parry, 33, found herself stranded in Skelmersdale after the argument and decided to drive home despite having necked half a bottle of wine and several gin and tonics.
South Sefton Magistrates Court heard that Parry crashed the car shortly before 3am on January 20, hitting a traffic island and then a lamppost.
She climbed out of the car without any significant injury and walked down the road to Southport Hospital. There, staff noticed that she smelt of alcohol and called the police.
A blood sample taken gave a result of 204mg of alcohol 100ml, around two-and-half times the legal limit.
Defending, Andrew Otto said that Parry was not someone who regularly drives after drinking and but made a ‘foolish’ decision which she regrets.
Explaining the circumstances, Mr Otto said: “She had arranged to meet a person who she had known for quite some time, well before the coronavirus pandemic, and they’d had a relationship.
“What was planned was she would visit him in Skelmersdale and remain with him for the night.
“Unfortunately, things hadn’t quite gone the way they and she in particular had planned. She arrived there about six or seven and she planned to stay for the night so the couple had a couple of drinks before the meal.
“To her best recollection, she had two gin and tonics and then wine was consumed with the meal. Her best estimate is she had a half a bottle with the meal.
“They stayed thereafter and she had two or more gin and tonics.
“Unfortunately, the evening ended abruptly with an argument, this would have taken place at around midnight.
“She was told to leave, she hadn’t planned to leave.
“She was in Skelmersdale and she foolishly got in her car. She regrets her decision.”
Parry began to drive back to her mum’s house in Southport, where she was living at the time, but was embarrassed to be returning early and decided to drive around.
Rather than head towards Churchtown, she turned at Kew roundabout onto Town Lane, where she crashed the car onto its side.
Mr Otto said Parry, who has no previous convictions, admitted she had been drinking when asked by police and asked for her to be given full credit for her early plea.
He said that her life has changed significantly since the accident and that she helped care for her current partner’s children as well as her own daughter and had recently offered to help with the care of a seven-month-old baby who is currently in care.
Parry was fined a total of £239 and disqualified from driving for 21 months.