Video: Drink and drug driver disqualified after collision

A drink driver who crashed into a tree after a night at the pub has been disqualified.

Lukasz Kopania lost control of a Mini Cooper in Needlemakers, Chichester, in the early hours of February 20.

He collided with a tree and was unconscious as he was pulled from the wreckage of the vehicle by a member of the public.

Kopania awoke and was taken to hospital, where five hours after the collision he gave blood samples.

The samples showed that the chemical element for the breakdown of cocaine, called benzolecgonine, was at 212 microgrammes (mg) per litre of blood. The legal limit is 50mg of benzolecgonine per litre of blood.

He was also over the limit for alcohol, testing positive for 115mg of alcohol per litre of blood. The legal limit is 80mg of alcohol per litre of blood.

At Worthing Magistrates’ Court on September 20, Kopania, 40, a motor trade body repairer, of Collyer Avenue, Bognor, admitted drink and drug driving above the specified legal limits.

Sussex Police is sharing the footage to raise awareness of the dangers of both drinking alcohol and consuming drugs before driving.

Roads Policing Unit officer PC Steve Bucksey 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 pled guilty.

“Prior to colliding with a tree, Kopania put others in danger, swerving past innocent members of 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 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 intially 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.”

The court ordered Kopania to complete 40 hours of unpaid work and to pay a £95 victim surcharge and £85 costs.

He was disqualified from driving for one year.