Edwinstowe drink driver flipped car after veering into oncoming vehicle

Alison Strouther was travelling along Coxmoor Road, Sutton, when she veered across the central line and collided with another car, at around 5.30pm, on October 23, said prosecutor Andrew Conboy.

Strouther's Hyundai Tucson was flipped onto its roof by the impact and she later gave a no-comment interview to police.

The incident was recorded on the dashcam of a motorist who began following her because he was concerned about her driving.

A blood test revealed she had 158 milligrammes of alcohol when the legal limit is 80 milligrammes.

Vicky Clarson, mitigating, said Strouther, of previous good character, deserved full credit for her early guilty plea and “was in quite a bad place emotionally” at the time.

She was trying to find her asthma inhaler when the accident happened, she said. Strouther sustained a bleed on the brain. No one else was injured.

A probation officer said Strouther’s behaviour was linked to post-traumatic stress disorder and a recent bereavement.

"She showed remorse throughout the interview and was fully aware of the potential for fatalities in the accident," she said.

"She has not had a drink since New Year and is making a conscious effort to avoid alcohol."

Strouther, aged 56, of Maythorn Grove, Edwinstowe, admitted drink driving and dangerous driving, when she appeared at Mansfield Magistrates Court, on Tuesday.

She received a 16-week prison sentence, suspended for one year, with 15 rehabilitation days. She was banned for 20 months and until an extended re-test is passed. She was fined £120 with a £154 surcharge.