Drink drive woman sells house to pay for accident damage

The scene of the accident in Andersons Bay Rd on October 31 last year. Photo / Otago Daily Times

A woman who crashed into three cars and a traffic light while driving drunk had sold her home to pay for the $25,000 accident damage, the Dunedin District Court heard yesterday.

Vicky Allen Pope (52), nurse aide, had more than twice the legal amount of alcohol in her blood when she reversed into a car at the Dowling St, Queens Gardens lights, continued driving and soon afterwards, rear-ended two cars at the intersection of Andersons Bay Rd and the southern motorway on October 31 before colliding with a traffic light.

As a result of the crashes, Pope admitted two charges of careless driving and one of driving with a blood alcohol level of 191mg.

She was fined $800 for the drink-driving, was ordered to pay $1095.25 to the Dunedin City Council for the damaged traffic light as well as the $109.25 analyst fee and court costs of $130. And she was disqualified from driving for 12 months.

On the careless driving charges, Pope was ordered to pay $957.63 reparation to the Queens Garden car owner and $12,386.03 and $10,701.95 to the owners of the vehicles rear-ended on Andersons Bay Rd.

She was also disqualified for six months (concurrent) on each charge and must pay $130 court costs in each case.

Counsel Nathan Laws told Judge Kevin Phillips the incident had been devastating for the defendant who had never been in court before.

She was very remorseful about what she had done but had little memory of it.

She had lost her own car and also her home which she sold to get money for reparation. She was now living in a caravan.

Pope had offered to go through restorative justice with the three car owners, Mr Laws said.

One had not wanted to participate but the other two did.

The defendant met them both, apologised to them and had offered financial amends.

Judge Kevin Phillips said the defendant had obviously consumed a lot of alcohol.

She was very drunk and it was fortunate nobody was injured in the incidents.

She should never have been driving, the judge said.

As a person working at a hospital, she would, ''day to day'', see the results of drinking and driving.

But he took into account Pope's good work record, the references from colleagues and the fact she was a first offender and had taken full responsibility for her actions, losing her home and probably most of her savings to provide reparation to the victims.