Doe Lea man's car flipped and landed on roof during boozy collision, court hears

Reece Mitchell, aged 26, told police the accident happened when he took his eyes off the road ‘for a few seconds’.

Chesterfield Magistrates’ Court heard Mitchell and a passenger crawled out of the upside-down vehicle with no injuries after the incident in Duckmanton, near Bolsover, on September 29.

Sarah Haslam, prosecuting, said Mitchell gave a sample of 73 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath – the legal limit is 35mcg.

Mitchell, of Waterloo Street, admitted drink-driving.

Annis Rowlands, mitigating, said losing his driving licence would make life ‘very difficult’ for him.

She said: “He acknowledges he made a serious mistake – it was a momentary lapse of judgement, but he takes full responsibility.”

Ms Rowlands said Mitchell, diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, had ‘struggled in life’, but had ‘knuckled down and worked hard’.

She said the forklift driver’s employers knew about his court hearing and he would be keeping the job he had held for the last three-and-a-half years.

He was banned from driving for 18 months, fined £360 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £36 surcharge.

Support your Chad by becoming a digital subscriber. You will see 70 per cent fewer ads on stories, meaning faster load times and an overall enhanced user experience. Click here to subscribe.