A driver has been ordered off the road for four years after she crashed into a tree on a rural road and refused to be tested for alcohol.
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Doris Auer was travelling along an unsealed road in Nintingbool on July 9, 2017, when she lost control of her Mercedes Benz at 11.54pm.
She drifted off the road and collided with the tree but managed to free herself from the vehicle.
There were no skid marks visible on the road from the crash, the Ballarat Magistrates Court was told on Thursday.
Police attended the scene where a man told them the driver of the car was in a nearby shed and she was hysterical.
Auer did not have her valid driver’s licence with her and the Mercedes was registered to her.
The court was told Auer refused a police request to be breath tested. She was then taken to hospital by ambulance due to her hysterical state and concerns she had a head injury.
At the hospital, she would not allow a doctor to take a blood sample from her.
Defence lawyer Emma Turnbull said her client had little memory of the crash.
She said a report tendered to the court indicated Auer had stresses going on in her life at the time.
The court was told Auer, who works in the finance industry, had refused a breath test nine years ago.
Magistrate Fiona Hayes told Auer it was concerning this accident occurred and she was fortunate she or no one else were seriously injured.
Auer pleaded guilty to careless driving and failing to allow a doctor to take a blood sample after she received a sentence indication from the court.
The charges were listed in the contested mention court list and would have gone to a contested hearing had it not resolved.
Auer was convicted and fined $800, and disqualified from driving for four years.