Shocking images have been made public showing the extensive damage left by an alleged drunk driving incident that sent a car careening through safety barriers and onto a popular South Australian beach over the weekend.
The crash unfolded at approximately 12:30 a.m. on Sunday at Aldinga Beach, a coastal spot located roughly 45 kilometers south of the state capital Adelaide. According to South Australia Police reports, a 32-year-old female driver was operating a Mazda Sedan when she failed to negotiate the road along the Esplanade, slamming into a heavy timber guardrail. The force of the impact pushed the vehicle over the edge of the elevated road, sending it rolling down a steep embankment before coming to a stop on the sand of the beach below.
Graphic photographs released by law enforcement capture the severe wreckage caused by the collision. One image shows a section of the wooden guardrail piercing all the way through the car’s front windscreen, leaving the glass completely shattered and scattered across the vehicle’s interior and surrounding sand. Miraculously, the driver was able to exit the vehicle on her own and walked away from the violent crash with no reported physical injuries.
Once officers arrived at the scene to respond to the crash, they administered a standard breath alcohol test to the driver. The test returned a reading of 0.110, more than double the legal blood alcohol limit for driving in Australia. Police subsequently took the woman into custody and charged her with multiple drunk driving offenses. As an immediate penalty, her driver’s license was suspended on the spot for a period of six months.
Following the incident, the wrecked vehicle was removed from the beach via towing to clear the public recreational area. Authorities have issued a public call for any members of the public who may have witnessed the crash or have additional information about the incident to come forward and assist with the ongoing investigation. The accused driver is scheduled to appear at a local court at a future date to answer the charges against her.