A P-plater has faced court after a drunk-driving incident that rendered one of her passengers a quadriplegic for life.
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Tumut woman Sharney Katherine Black, now 21, was 18-years-old on when she got behind the wheel with three passengers after a long night of drinking.
The group of friends spent the evening at a party in Brindabella, where Black drank five vodka cruisers as well as another five or six beers.
The next morning, after having very little sleep, Black and her passengers got in the car to return to Tumut.
The court heard that one of Black’s passengers – the same man who was to be a quadriplegic by the journey’s end – noticed Black was being “a bit silly going up the driveway”, so offered to drive instead.
However, the green P-plater still insisted on driving.
Black lost control of the car only 10 minutes into their journey; it overturned on a bend, rolled over a couple of times, and came to rest on the wrong side of the road.
The victim was airlifted to Canberra Hospital with a fractured spine and was later transferred to the Prince of Wales Hospital in Sydney for further treatment.
Blood tests conducted shortly after the incident revealed Black had a blood alcohol level of 0.091 at the time of the crash.
Black faced Wagga District Court for sentencing on Tuesday, almost three years after the incident.
In his remarks, Judge Gordon Lerve said the victim, who is 22-years-old, will be confined to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
"The victim is now completely dependent in all aspects of his daily living,” Judge Lerve said.
“The injuries sustained are permanent and devastating.”
Judge Lerve said Black knew she was doing the wrong thing by getting behind the wheel.
"She said she made the decision to drive even though she knew she'd be over the legal limit,” he said.
“She said she was fairly confident she wouldn't come across a highway patrol or random breath testing station on the road along which she was driving."
However, Judge Lerve also accepted that Black was genuinely remorseful for the damage she had inflicted.
“She said she would not wish that on anyone and that she wished she was in his place… she wished she could take it back,” he said.
Black was sentenced to 22 months’ jail to be served by way of an intensive correction order, which means she will be able to remain in the community under strict supervision.
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