Cocktail of drugs and fatigue at play as driver collides with trailer of hay bales

John Albert Armstrong Bond, 36, of Flint Street, Forbes, was driving a 2008 Audi along The Escort Way at Boree when he crashed into a trailer being towed by an oncoming vehicle about 5.30pm on May 28, 2018.

According to police, Bond was about 600 metres west of Mousehole Lane when his sedan veered sharply to the wrong side of the road and hit the trailer.

As a result of the collision, the trailer, which was laden with bales of hay, was ripped off the towbar and flipped, causing it to lose its load on the road barrier.

Bond’s car spun and stopped on the grass verge on the wrong side of the road.

No one was injured but the front of Bond’s car was extensively damaged on the driver’s side, and the front wheel was ripped from the vehicle.

MAP: Where the incident occurred …

His airbags were also deployed, and the dash came out of position.

When police arrived they found Bond and his passenger behaving and talking erratically, so Bond was taken to Orange Health Service for a drug test, which was positive for methamphetamine, amphetamine, methadone and cannabis.

Bond was in custody for an unrelated matter when he appeared in Orange Local Court court via audio visual link on Monday.

Solicitor John Song said Bond used the drugs the previous day and was fatigued when he crashed while driving from Forbes to Sydney.

“It was only by luck that no one was injured in this whole incident,” Mr Song said.

Magistrate David Day convicted Bond and placed him on a 12-month conditional release order, similar to a good behaviour bond, and disqualified his driver’s licence for six-months.