A 20-year-old Arrowtown woman who yesterday walked away from what was described as one of the worst crash scenes in the area for 24 years has been cited by police as an "excellent example of [why] not to drink and drive".
Fire crews from Arrowtown and Frankton, police and ambulance staff were called to the corner of Bedford and Berkshire Sts at 3am yesterday.
They found a Toyota four-wheel-drive vehicle in an elevated swimming pool, facing the direction from which it came, with a piece of 100mm x 50mm (4in x 2in) wood through the front windscreen.
Constable Duncan Faulkner, of Queenstown, said the woman was travelling along Bedford St - a 50kmh area - at 80kmh.
"She's lost control of her vehicle and hit a traffic island and ended up smashing through someone's fence, straight into their shed, into their stone barbecue, which has then caused the vehicle to do a somersault . . . to land 1.5m higher [up] . . . in a swimming pool."
Const Faulkner said the piece of wood, from the shed, had gone through the windshield and was resting on the driver's headrest.
"To have walked away from the 4x2; swimming pool; and a head-on collision with the shed and the barbecue would be an excellent example of [why] not to drink and drive."
Police were "uncertain" if the woman was wearing a seatbelt.
A St John spokesman said the driver received minor injuries.
"She's got a contusion to her forehead; minor lacerations to her hands, but from what [attending officers] have been describing, she's incredibly lucky."
The woman was discharged from Lakes District Hospital yesterday morning.
Arrowtown Volunteer Fire Brigade Chief Fire Officer Garry Hall, one of the first to arrive, described the scene as one of the worst he had seen in 24 years.
"It could have easily been a fatal."
Mr Hall said he was "absolutely amazed" to see the driver walking when he arrived.
"The girl was actually out of the car at the time . . . the guys were doing a search for any other bodies or anyone else in the car - we searched around the swimming pool and in the swimming pool."
Const Faulkner said the woman had not yet been formally charged, but blood samples had been taken and sent for analysis.
The vehicle - which was warranted and registered - belonged to a friend's mother, he said.
Police had not been able to contact the owners of the property - which was vacant yesterday morning - to inform them of the damage.
A crane was used yesterday to remove the vehicle.
