Drunk street racing hoons jailed

[Hunter]

Looks like a couple of hoons have been brought to justice (sort of):

Link

I really feel for the poor taxi driver, they don't earn much to begin with and have to put up drunken idiots and now this poor bastard can't even do that because two hoons thought street racing was a good idea and on top of that thought it was a good idea to do so while under the influence of alcohol.

I just hope the Falcon driver never drives a car, let alone a Falcon again.

Hoons jailed over drag race crash
Christine Kellett | August 2, 2007 - 10:38AM

A pair of Brisbane road hoons has been sent to jail after a street drag race left a taxi driver seriously injured.

Liam James Hanna, 21, of Tingalpa, and Matthew Peter Boland, 28, of Wishart, were both drunk behind the wheel when they made a snap decision to race each other along Mt Gravatt Capalaba Road at Wishart on April 11, 2006.

Brisbane's District Court heard the pair had reached double the 60km/h speed limit when Boland decided to pull out of the contest.

Hanna, however, continued to speed around a bend and eventually lost control.

An oncoming taxi, being driven by Jaswant Singh, was hit after Hanna's Ford Falcon struck a concrete traffic island and became airborne.

Mr Singh, who had just clocked off duty for the night, suffered spinal injuries and a badly broken leg. The court heard that as witnesses went to the cabbie's aid, Hanna fled the scene.

He returned a short time later after Boland went to find him and bring him back.

The younger man recorded a blood alcohol level of 0.141 - almost three times the legal limit.

Boland, who also admitted to driving drunk, blew .084 when tested two hours later.

Both men pleaded guilty to dangerous driving under the influence, and Hanna of causing grievous bodily harm.

In sentencing the men this morning, Judge Kerry O'Brien described their actions as "irresponsible and reckless".

He ordered Hanna serve nine-months of a total three-year sentence while Boland will be released from his 18-month term in November this year.

Outside court, Mr Singh said the incident had had a major impact on his life and had cost him a significant amount of money in lost income.