A drink driver who was airlifted to hospital after ploughing his moped into a traffic island has been banned from the roads.
Jamie Lees, of Bruce Gardens, Newcastle, spent the night drinking with a friend on May 26 before driving his scooter straight into a pedestrian island in the Battle Hill area of Wallsend.
A court heard the Great North Air Ambulance was dispatched and Lees was taken to the RVI where his "serious but not life threatening" injuries were treated.
Northumbria Police took a blood sample from him in hospital which revealed he was over twice the legal limit.
The 34-year-old has now been banned from the road for 20 months after pleading guilty to drink driving.
When medics arrived at the crash site, Lees seemed "conscious but appeared to be under the influence of alcohol".
North Tyneside Magistrates' Court heard the defendant had embarked on a Sunday drinking session with a friend which turned nasty.
The unnamed friend had been drinking "copiously" when an argument unfolded and threats were made to Lees.
Adrian Ions, defending, said: "He effectively thought his friend was going to trash his moped."
Lees drove off but the court heard he managed only a "short distance" before crashing.
Mr Ions said nobody else had been injured by Lees' actions and that the insured driver had been wearing a helmet.
He argued that alcohol may not have been fully to blame for the crash, hitting out at the "uneven road surface" which he claimed had since been resurfaced.
He added: "That's an indication there was an issue with that part of the road."
Unemployed Lees was fined £120.
He was also ordered to pay a £30 charge and £85 in costs.
