A man who "died twice" and was resuscitated twice while being airlifted to Canberra Hospital after crashing his motorcycle in Batemans Bay has faced charges at Batemans Bay Local Court.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
Matthew Shaun McGrail from Batehaven faced court on Monday, October 23 and pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle while suspended, driving with high range blood alcohol and using an unregistered motor vehicle.
The court heard that a delivery truck driver saw McGrail drive the Husqvarna motorcycle along Pacific Street and Beach Road at about 11.45am on July 11.
According to police documents, the witness continued travelling in the lane next to McGrail along Beach Road towards the roundabout at Bavarde Avenue. As McGrail exited the roundabout, the witness saw him lose control, get thrown from the motorcycle and collide with the kerb.
McGrail's solicitor Lisa Stone said the accident was a "near fatal" and that he died twice and had to be resuscitated twice by paramedics as he was airlifted to Canberra Hospital.
"He's lucky he's not dead - other people are also lucky they're not dead," she said.
About an hour later, a sample of McGrail's blood returned a high-range blood alcohol reading of 0.194.
READ MORE:
Documents tendered to the court showed he was in hospital for a number of weeks recovering from brain trauma, hand and back injuries.
Ms Stone said the accident was a wake up call for McGrail and that he now suffers from short-term memory loss.
On August 18, McGrail told police he had no recollection of the day of the accident or the night before. Police found that his licence was suspended at the time of the collision and that the motorcycle's registration had expired in September 2022.
Magistrate Doug Dick told McGrail that he was lucky to be alive.
"You drink a lot - it's a matter for you as to what you do with your life."
McGrail was sentenced to a 12-month community corrections order, 200 hours of community service, fined $700, disqualified from driving for six months and ordered to drive with an interlock apparatus for 24 months.
