A disturbing video has surfaced depicting a car driven by an alleged drunk driver travelling the wrong way down a Dunedin motorway, ultimately crashing into a vehicle carrying an elderly couple, The New Zealand Herald reported.
Police responded to the incident on Dunedin’s Southern Motorway just before 11 pm on Tuesday following reports of the crash.
The footage, captured from a northbound vehicle, shows the errant car speeding along in the southbound lanes. Passengers in the filming car can be heard expressing alarm, noting the vehicle's high speed as it approaches oncoming traffic.
The wrong-way vehicle eventually collides head-on with the approaching car, then crashes into a barrier and spins across the road.
Senior Sergeant Anthony Bond informed the Herald that a 42-year-old woman had entered the motorway at Mosgiel and traveled north in the southbound lane. He mentioned that a 79-year-old woman and an 80-year-old man were in the other car, all fortunately surviving the incident. He noted that the angle of impact and timing of the crash likely prevented more serious injuries, stating, "If it was a head-on, it would have probably resulted in a fatal, from any of the three occupants."
Although both vehicles sustained significant damage, the elderly woman suffered only a minor knee injury and chest pain, while the man was unharmed.
The alleged drunk driver registered a breath alcohol level of 890mcg, more than three times the legal limit, and declined medical assistance. She was arrested and faces charges of drunk driving and dangerous driving, in addition to a 28-day suspension of her driver's license.
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