A drink driver crashed into the back of a queueing car during the morning rush hour in a city centre.
Elone Hervonovich said he hadn't had any alcohol since the night before when the collision happened on a slip road off the A167 Central Motorway, in Newcastle, earlier this month. The 33-year-old told officers he'd been temporarily blinded by a low sun but a breath test proved he was over the limit, a court was told.
The rail company manager also said he'd stopped drinking at 11.30pm the previous night - just nine hours before the collision near Claremont Road. Now, Hervonovich, of Central Lofts, in Newcastle, has been given a 12-month disqualification after he pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol at the city's magistrates' court.
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Prosecutor, Rehana Haque, said police attended the A167 southbound, near Claremont Road, at around 8.15am on April 6 after reports of a crash. They found that Hervonovich's BMW had collided with another vehicle. Ms Haque added: "The driver of the BMW had failed to see the stationary vehicle in traffic on the slip road and collided with the rear of the other vehicle.
"Police talked with the defendant. He said he was at fault after being temporarily blinded by the low sun. There was a positive roadside breath test. The defendant told police he had stopped drinking between 11.30pm and 12am the night before."
Magistrates heard that Hervonovich gave a reading of 56mcg of alcohol in 100ml of breath when the legal limit is 35. Adrian Ions, defending, said Hervonovich, who has no past convictions, was deeply ashamed, adding: "He was out the night before and had a reasonable amount to drink. It's 8am the next morning and he believes he's fine to drive.
"There was a low sun and the collision was not down to anything other than the low sun." Hervonovich was fined £220 and ordered to pay £85 costs and a £34 victim surcharge.
