A DRINK and drug driver was caught by his own dashcam footage as he crashed into a tree after a night at the pub.

Lukas Kopania, 40, from Collyer Avenue in Bognor, lost control of his Mini Cooper in Needlemakers in Chichester and smashed into the tree.

His dashcam camera caught the moment of the collision in which he was knocked unconscious. He was pulled from the wreckage of the vehicle by a member of the public.

Kopania, a motor trade body repairer, was taken to hospital and gave blood samples that were above the legal limit for alcohol and cocaine.

At Worthing Magistrates’ Court on September 20, Kopania admitted drink and drug driving and was ordered to do 40 hours of unpaid work and pay a £95 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

He was also disqualified from driving for a year over the smash, which happened on February 20.

The Argus: Kopania was found to be over the limit for both alcohol and cocaine: credit - Sussex PoliceKopania was found to be over the limit for both alcohol and cocaine: credit - Sussex Police (Image: Sussex Police)

PC Steve Bucksey from Sussex Police’s Roads Policing Unit said: “Kopania stated throughout the investigation he could not remember driving.

“Through a full and thorough investigation involving witness appeals, CCTV trawls and forensic investigation, we presented this to the court where Kopania for the first time pleaded guilty.

“Prior to colliding with a tree, Kopania put others in danger, swerving past innocent members of the public as he drove through Chichester town centre.

“He ballooned the bend in Needlemakers and hit a tree, causing a collision that left him unconscious.

“Kopania was then helped to get out of the wreckage by a member of the public who was thankfully on the scene within seconds.

“He was incredibly fortunate that he did not cause any serious harm to himself or anyone else that night.

“Drink and drug driving are among the main causes of people being killed or seriously injured on our roads.

“Despite Kopania initially claiming he was not the driver at the time, this investigation shows we are determined to remove drink and drug drivers from our roads and where possible, use our specialist and forensic capabilities.”

“We are pleased that a potentially dangerous driver has been taken off our roads.”