Crashing his car into a tree saved a Wanganui man and his pregnant partner from plunging into a river, a court heard.
Kevin Anthony Field fell asleep at the wheel, 15km south of Raetihi, as he and his partner drove home to Wanganui on April 21. Field had been smoking cannabis beforehand, to keep himself "alert".
The car plunged through a fence along a winding stretch of State Highway 4, before colliding with the tree, police prosecutor Sergeant Stephen Butler told Whanganui District Court on Tuesday.
"Had it not been for the tree, the vehicle would have ended up in the river," Mr Butler said.
Field and his partner had been taking turns driving and resting as they travelled home. The pair stopped in Raetihi for a brief rest before deciding to continue on, as they were almost home, the court heard.