Miracle escape for car crash tot

The driver of the vehicle - Shane Anderson (37) of Garryduff Road, Dunloy - pleaded guilty through his solicitor to driving without due care and attention and driving with excess alcohol in his blood at North Antrim Magistrates Court in Coleraine on Friday.

He was fined a total of 500 and disqualified from driving for one year.

A prosecutor told the court police were called to the scene of a road traffic collision at the Lagge Road, Armoy on February 1 of last year.

When they arrived they discovered a BMW which had left the road.

Enquiries at the scene enabled police to ascertain the vehicle had struck a tree before crashing into a ditch.

The impact had thrown the youngster and a female passenger from the vehicle.

All three people who had been in the vehicle prior to the smash - including Anderson - were taken to hospital.

The child suffered a fracture to the arm, abdominal injuries and cuts to their face.

Tests carried out in the hospital showed the driver of the BMW - Anderson - had 188mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood - 108mg in excess of the legal limit.

At a later date he was interviewed by officers at Coleraine Police Station during which he said a dog had ran out into the road, causing him to swerve.

Anderson told police the next thing he could remember was waking up in hospital, the court was told.

According to the prosecutor, Anderson also said he had consumed a bottle of vodka on the evening previous to the crash.

A defence solicitor described said the incident as “unfortunate”.

Anderson - who was not in court - has six penalty points on his driving licence at present for speeding, the court was told.