A 50-year-old mother who crashed her luxury car in Sydney's north has blamed a brush turkey and a health drink for the incident, despite allegedly recording a blood alcohol reading more than six times the legal limit.
Crash and alleged readings
Natasha Jansen had to be pulled from her overturned Mercedes-Benz in Northbridge in August last year, just around the corner from her home. A roadside breath test allegedly recorded a reading of 0.304. She denies being drunk.
Explanation of events
In Hornsby Court on Monday, Jansen said she was returning from buying cake supplies for her children's school fair when a brush turkey ran across the road, causing her to smash into parked utes and flip the car. "I instinctively hit the brakes," she said. "The last thing I remember is a very loud, explosive whooshing sound."
Defence and previous case
Jansen's lawyer, Michael Bowe, argued the high reading was not due to alcohol but to ethanol from two bottles of Grant's liquid chlorophyll, a wellness drink Jansen was using for acne and menopause while also suffering from reflux. A vodka bottle found in her handbag, which she said belonged to her husband, allegedly had her DNA on it.
This is the second time Jansen has used this defence. Weeks before the crash, she was found not guilty of a separate drink-driving charge after falling asleep on the way to school pickup. She is due back in court in October.
