Drink-driver ‘was trying to get to hospital’ (From The Argus)

Drink-driver ‘was trying to get to hospital’

8:29am Saturday 5th May 2012 in News

A MAN whose life has been beset by leg injuries drove drunk because he feared he had broken another bone, a court heard.

Paul Price, 47, was three-and- a-half times the drink-drive limit when he was spotted driv- ing a car at night without lights, veering across the road and hit- ting kerbs.

Brighton Magistrates’ Court was told he had had a lifetime of surgery and complications over his leg and hip.

When he fell over at home while fitting a lampshade he decided to drive himself to hos- pital even though he had drunk half a bottle of vodka.

He got into his Ford Focus car outside his home in Sutherland Road, Brighton, at 7.30pm on March 21.

A member of the public called police with the car’s reg- istration number after seeing him hit a kerb.

When Sussex Police went to the house, Price was struggling to get out of the car. He had hit two other cars while parking.

He said he had turned around and driven home after realising he was too drunk to drive.

Martyn Williams, defending Price, told the court Price had dislocated his hip and broken two bones in his leg when he was four. He needed a metal plate inserting and had several more operations as a teenager and young adult. Four years ago he broke his leg again.

Magistrates banned Price from driving for 29 months, ordered him to do 100 hours’ unpaid work, pay £85 costs and spend four weeks living under a curfew.