Editorial: Driver's reason' an insult

The drink-driver who ploughed into three parked cars and two pedestrians, seriously injuring one of them, at a Rotorua market has until July 10 to come up with a better explanation for her horrifying actions on that day.

In Saturday's newspaper, we reported that Janine Mathie has admitted driving drunk and causing injuries to two women.

It was 11.20am on Saturday, April 27, when she crashed on Kuirau St, near the busy Kuirau Park markets. Police found she had a reading of 1836 micrograms of alcohol per litre of breath. The legal limit is 400mcg.

Chandrika Roland from Auckland was left with serious leg injuries and is still in hospital. Her sister was treated for her injuries and then released from hospital.

Mrs Roland's family is despairing because they want to move her to a nursing home, for her own comfort, but can't afford to pay for it.

Mathie told police she had two glasses of wine before lunch and one glass after lunch (it must have been a very early lunch), before going to the market to buy vegetables.

She said she couldn't remember crashing into the other vehicles and said the victims ran out in front of her.

This woman's alcohol reading was among the highest ever recorded in this country.

To say she only had three glasses of wine and the victims ran out in front of her is an insult to Mrs Roland and her sister.

When she is sentenced on July 10, hopefully Mrs Roland is awarded suitable compensation for the awful ordeal she has been put through.

While someone could have easily been killed that morning with adults and children swarming the popular market, what happened to Mrs Roland is serious enough.

She deserves as much as the law will provide to ensure her recovery helps erase her horror weekend in Rotorua.