Holly Rennie convicted of high-range drink driving in Griffith Local Court

Holly Rennie, 29, was sentenced for high-range drink driving in Griffith Local Court on May 26.

According to facts tendered to court, police began an investigation following the arrival of a blood sample taken on the night of the crash.

On December 10 last year, Rennie left her home to meet friends before heading to the Hillston Club House Hotel for a club presentation, arriving between 6pm and 6.30pm.

At 2am she returned to her Toyota Hilux and drove home on the Kidman Way.

Rennie told police that a kangaroo appeared while driving and she swerved to avoid it which resulted in losing control of the vehicle, which rolled.

After the crash, Rennie contacted her father who took her to Hillston Hospital for treatment before she was transferred to Griffith Base Hospital at 6.10am.

Before she left, a blood sample was taken.

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In an email to police it was said the concentration of alcohol was "no less than 0.173".

The police investigation started with a statement from Rennie who told police she had two Great Northern middies, and two to three 'sweet drinks' before leaving at 11.30pm and heading to the Tattersalls Hotel where she stayed until 1.30am but didn't drink.

Police spoke to witnesses at the Club House Hotel who said Rennie stayed until 1.30am when she was told to finish her drink before they closed. They told police Rennie consumed more than five drinks including vodka lime and sodas in middie glasses, two vodka soda cans plus one to two shots of tequila.

Police asked the NSW Police Pharmacology Service to complete a 'countback' on Rennie's possible blood-alcohol concentration. Using Rennie's statement they said at the time of the crash it would have been between 0.209 and 0.273 - potentially 0.239.

Calculated using information from witnesses it would have been between 0.168 and 0.273 it would have been 0.224.

Rennie's solicitor Olivia Harris gave the court a letter from her client outlining her remorse about her behaviour.

Ms Harris told the court the crash had left Rennie with significant injuries including a broken collar bone, tail bone and fractured C7 vertabrae.

Ms Harris told the court that due to her location Rennie wasn't eligible for community service and conceded the threshold for imprisonment had been crossed.

She asked the court to consider an intensive corrections order.

Magistrate Trevor Khan questioned Rennie's reasoning of getting in a vehicle after having drank a large amount of alcohol at a function.

"What's the reasoning process that she ends up in a vehicle driving?" he asked.

Mr Khan said as a pilot Rennie would understand the pre-flight safety checks necessary before flying a plane.

"She would not have gotten into a plane because she would know she's unfit to fly."

He said Rennie hadn't done similar checks before getting into a car and had exposed herself and others to a serious risk.

He said Rennie's call to her father after the crash was 'a parent's worst nightmare'.

"I'm sure there's been a wide range of discussions with what's happened," he said.

Given the circumstances of Rennie's location, Mr Khan found exceptional circumstances applied and sentenced her to six months jail, to be served in the community through an intensive corrections order.

Rennie will also be fined $2000, is disqualified from driving for seven months and will serve two years on an interlock licence.

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