A woman who was found to be twice the legal drink drive limit told a court she had no idea she had been involved in a road smash.
Amanda Chambers' Suzuki was involved in a collision with a Citroen van in Hartlepool after she had left a birthday bash last month.
Teesside Magistrates' Court heard how the the 62-year-old didn't know a crash had even taken place until police pulled her over, TeessideLive report.
The court in Middlesbrough heard how Chambers, who has no previous convictions, gave a reading of 66 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath.
The legal limit is 35.
Lillian Yanes Hellevik, prosecuting, told the court how an officer spoke to Chambers and she confirmed she was the owner and driver of the vehicle.
She said: "There was a roadside breath test which produced a positive result. The defendant was taken into custody."
The prosecutor said Chambers admitted during interview that she had been drinking just before she had driven but said she she hadn't realised she would be over the limit.
Chambers from Hartlepool pleaded guilty to driving a motor vehicle when her alcohol level was above the limit.
John Wesencraft, defending, told the court how Chambers had been celebrating a birthday with her daughter, in Durham, and she drove back to Hartlepool prior to the incident on March 11.
He said: "She has driven for 35 years without incident, this is clearly a one off.
"She hadn't realised she would be over the drink drive limit.
"Neither did she realise she had been involved in an incident. She didn't realise there was something wrong with her vehicle until she was standing next to it.
"She thought something had happened to her but she wasn't sure what that was."
The solicitor told the court how she has been through "five years of tragedy".
He said that five years ago her 21-year-old son died of an accidental morphine overdose and Chambers had to give up her employment to care for her paralysed mother full time.
He said that her mother died around a year ago from Covid, having spent six months in hospital prior to that.
Mr Wesencraft said that, as a result of the death of her son and her mother, she was now suffering from anxiety and depression and has to take medication to control it.
He said her daughter doesn't drive and the inevitable driving ban will have a big impact on her.
Chair of the Bench George Harpham told Chambers that drink driving is a very serious thing.
He said: "You know you're endangering yourself but also members of the public. In this case you had a collision and you weren't aware of it."
Mr Harpham was disqualified Chambers from driving for 17 months.
He also ordered her to pay £120 fine, £85 costs and £34 victim surcharge.
She was offered a drink drive course which, if completed, will reduce the length of time she is disqualified.
