Drink driver found trapped in upside down car in Cork gets three-year ban

A drink driver who crashed his car on a rural road had to be freed from the upturned wreckage by the emergency services, the district court has heard.

Court presenter, Sergeant Trish O’Sullivan, told Bantry District Court that a single-vehicle road traffic accident occurred at Maughanaclea near Kealkill, Co. Cork just before 8pm on October 29, 2024.

The car had turned on its roof and the sole occupant — Robert Sobura, aged 60 of Maughanaclea, Kealkill, Bantry, Co. Cork — was trapped inside and had suffered a broken collarbone. The court was told that the accident happened on a bend and it appeared the driver had lost control of the vehicle turning it on its roof.

When Sobura was freed form the vehicle gardaí formed the opinion that he was intoxicated, but due to his injuries he was taken to Cork University Hospital (CUH). 

A blood test carried out at CUH showed that Sobura had a blood alcohol level of 158 mg per 100 ml where the legal limit is 50 mg. The court was told that Sobura had no previous convictions.

Defence solicitor, Flor Murphy, said his client was an artist who was originally from Poland but had lived in Germany where he had two adult children before moving to Ireland. 

He said Sobura was cooking a meal when he realised he needed to get ingredients from the local shop but did not realise he had consumed nearly a bottle of wine.

Judge Joanne Carroll said living in a rural location a disqualification would have significant consequences for Sobura. She convicted him of drink driving and disqualified him from driving for three years. 

Sobura was also convicted of careless driving and fined €150 with five months to pay the fine. The judge agreed to postpone the commencement of the driving disqualification to February 1, 2026.