Michael Boyd Burke, 19, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday after earlier admitting careless driving causing injury and making a false statement to police.
The court heard that on December 30, the defendant was driving towards Haast on the Haast-Jackson Bay road with his friend in the passenger seat.
Burke lost control of the car, swerved into the wrong lane and skidded on to grass before coming back on to the right side of the road.
He then went into a ditch and drove through bush and bamboo before crashing into a fence and coming to a stop in a farmer’s paddock.
His friend had a cut lip and a loose tooth as a result.
While police were on their way the pair hatched a plan that the passenger would take the blame for the crash because he had encouraged Burke to drive.
When officers arrived, Burke told them his friend had been driving.
About a week later, the defendant went to the Wanaka Police Station and confessed he had been the driver and caused the crash.
Yesterday, Burke argued he should not be convicted for the offending because he was studying to be a mechanical engineer.
Lawyer Anya Maule argued a conviction would make it too difficult for the defendant to get a job in his chosen field.
"He will essentially be precluded from getting a foot in the door in the engineering industry," she said.
"His career would be finished before it even begins."
Ms Maule said Burke and the victim had a successful restorative justice meeting, which brought them closer together.
Community magistrate Elder Robati said he believed the defendant was sorry for what he did and had acted impulsively.
He noted Burke had no previous convictions and handing himself in showed he was remorseful.
"The engineering field is competitive and there are usually more graduates than there are jobs," he said.
"A conviction at this stage of your life may jeopardise [your] bright future."
He did not convict Burke, but disqualified him from driving for six months.
