A Ballarat woman has been described as lucky to be alive after she flipped her car onto its side while intoxicated by a mix of drugs and alcohol.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Trudy Harris, 51, pleaded guilty in the Ballarat Magistrates' Court to one charge of driving under the influence in relation to the incident.
According to a police summary, Harris crashed her car into a stationary vehicle on Crown Street, Sebastopol, about 10.20pm on November 4, 2023.
When officers arrived at the crash, Harris' Holden Captiva had flipped onto its side and sustained significant damage.
She's aware of the consequences, she's lost her licence for similar offending and she's gone and done it again.
- Police prosecutor
The Holden Commodore which she hit had no occupants at the time, and was pushed onto the footpath in the collision.
Harris, who was trapped after the crash, was removed from her car by a witness prior to the arrival of police and paramedics.
When officers spoke to Harris at the scene, she smelt of alcohol and showed signs of intoxication including slurred speech and bloodshot eyes.
Nearly an hour-and-a-half later, a blood alcohol sample was taken from the 51-year-old at Ballarat Base Hospital, which returned a reading of 0.177 and also tested positive for cannabis.
Harris was previously convicted of drink driving in 2017, for which she received a community corrections order [CCO].
The 51-year-old's lawyer said the night of the crash their client had consumed beer and cannabis at a friend's house, and hadn't "been thinking straight" when she decided to get behind the wheel.
They said Harris was a single mother with a 15-year-old son, and had a further three children who didn't live at home.
The lawyer also said the mother had worked at a petrol station for the past 8 years, but had to leave her job after she lost her licence, and was now facing financial difficulty.
In response, the police prosecutor said the incident was a serious example of driving while under the influence and it proved Harris hadn't learnt a lesson from her 2017 conviction.
This is a serious example of this charge, she's more than three times over the limit and there's significant damage.
- Magistrate Guillaume Bailin
"She's aware of the consequences, she's lost her licence for similar offending and she's gone and done it again," they said.
Magistrate Guillaume Bailin said Harris was on the cusp of going to prison for the offence.
"This is a serious example of this charge, she's more than three times over the limit and there's significant damage," he said.
"She's lucky she's not dead."
Mr Bailin ordered the 51-year-old to be assessed for a CCO, and adjourned the matter until May 7 for sentencing.
