A Hairini man was breaching his community detention and drunk when he crashed into a power pole and cut power to 8000 homes, a court has been told.
Russell James Burt, 42, was also caught driving while disqualified for the eighth time when he lost control as he tried to negotiate a bend on Poike Rd. His stationwagon slid sideways uphill leaving a 74-metre skid mark before destroying a power pole on July 4.
The crash brought down powerlines, disconnecting power to parts of Ohauiti, Hairini, Welcome Bay and Maungatapu.
Burt suffered serious injuries to his right arm and his vehicle was badly damaged. A blood sample revealed Burt had been driving with a blood alcohol level of 113 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
The adult legal limit is 80 milligrams.