A Wānaka man who crashed into a parked car after drinking 25 pre-mixed drinks had a blood-alcohol level "off the charts", a community magistrate says.
Ryan Jackson Armstrong, 38, has a second drink-driving conviction and must pay more than $2400 in penalties as a result of the August 22 incident.
The concrete worker was driving in Reece Cres about 9.15pm when he lost control and veered across the opposite lane into a Toyota RAV.
After he was unable to summon enough breath to complete an evidential breath test, he was taken to the Wānaka police station to provide a blood specimen.
The resulting blood-alcohol level of 289mg was nearly six times the legal limit, and equivalent to a breath-alcohol level of 1445mcg.
At Armstrong’s sentencing on drink-driving and careless driving charges in the Queenstown District Court last week, counsel Kieran Tohill said the defendant had been drinking with a friend who had just returned from overseas.
Armstrong denied having a drinking problem.
His only previous drink-driving conviction was in 2004.
Community magistrate Philippa King told Armstrong his alcohol level was "completely off the charts".
"It’s a wonder you could stand, let alone drive."
She fined him $1500 and imposed court costs of $130, medical and analyst fees $305.34, and ordered him to pay $500 reparation to cover the vehicle owner’s insurance excess.
After a 28-day stand-down, he can apply for an alcohol interlock licence.
