The man, the driver of the vehicle, has been told not to read anything into a remand on bail ahead of sentencing.
Sahil Sudhir Shetty (26), of Sunshine Bay, appeared before Judge Mark Callaghan in the Queenstown District Court yesterday and admitted one charge of careless driving, while under the influence of drink, causing bodily injury Marie Spendig, on March 13.
The charge carries a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment, or a $10,000 fine.
Prosecuting Sergeant Ian Collin said Shetty ``woke up wondering what had happened to his girlfriend'' after the crash, which left the 22-year-old German woman with traumatic brain injuries requiring emergency surgery.
The court heard the couple and others had been out together in the Queenstown CBD on March 12.
Shetty, Ms Spendig and an associate left a bar at 3.43am and got into a black Honda Odyssey, owned by the couple.
It was driven along Shotover St and was last seen on Robins Rd.
About six hours later, at 10.20am, a Gorge Road Retail Centre employee noticed the vehicle wedged between an embankment and the rear of the commercial building.
Ms Spendig was on the ground about 1.5m from the vehicle, closest to the passenger side, able to move her arms and legs, but unable to speak.
Her injuries included a skull fracture, a brain bleed, brain swelling and brain damage due to the impairment of the blood supply.
She also had damage to her left lung as a result of inhalation of stomach contents.
She spent 26 days in ICU on a ventilator, was unable speak for a month and was learning how to walk independently again.
Sgt Collin said the car had been heading from Queenstown towards Arthurs Point, travelling between 65kmh and 72kmh in the 50kmh zone.
It went off the road on a right-hand bend and over a bank, crashing into the building.
The passenger's side door was open and the seatbelt had been cut with a sharp object.
There was blood splatter around the driver's side and in the footwell - a DNA test confirmed Shetty was the driver.
Two wallets, belonging to Shetty and Ms Spendig, and three cellphones were found in the car.
About 6pm on March 13, Shetty rang one of the cellphones, which was answered by police.
He said he had "hitchhiked home after a night out'' with his girlfriend and others, didn't remember the night and had ``just woken up''.
He was then located at an Arrowtown address with lacerations on his face.
During a police interview on March 26, Shetty said he had consumed five drinks before driving.
While his recollection of events up to the crash was "very good'', all he recalled afterwards was waking up with gravel around him, glass in his hair and "no vision'' of the car.
He told police he had walked back to town, asked a member of the public for a ride home, went to sleep ``and woke up wondering what had happened to his girlfriend''.
Judge Callaghan ordered a pre-sentence report and referred Shetty to restorative justice ahead of his sentencing on October 29.
