Lorraine Gooden suffered cuts to her face (pictured) after she was hit by a woman five times over the limit on May 9 last year
A woman who suffered broken bones and cuts to her face after she was hit by a woman five times over the legal alcohol limit at 9.30am later learned the drunk driver is her neighbour.
Lorraine Gooden was taking her daily stroll in Belrose, in Sydney’s northern suburbs, on May 9 last year when a red Mercedes mounted the curb and rammed into her from behind.
The 46-year-old’s head shattered the car’s windscreen and she was thrown about 10 metres into a brick wall.
Monica Mecham, whose house backs onto Ms Gooden’s property, was behind the wheel of the car with a blood alcohol reading of 0.278.
Mecham was sentenced to 12 months in jail after pleading guilty to high-range drink driving, but she successfully appealed the sentence and is now serving a 12-month Intensive Corrections Order in the community.
Ms Gooden and her husband Nick told A Current Affair of the moment they learnt the drunk driver was their back fence neighbour.
‘The next day, she rang my phone and Nick answered the phone and then it suddenly dawned on us who it was, that was the driver,’ Ms Gooden said.
The couple, who are hoping to move houses, said it’s ‘hard’ to living close by to Mecham.
‘It’s hard to still live here. For a long time I was very angry about that,’ Ms Gooden said.
‘Why should we have to be the ones changing everything about our life and she can just do what she likes.
Monica Mecham, whose house backs onto Ms Gooden’s property, was behind the wheel of the car with a blood alcohol reading of 0.278
Ms Gooden was taking her daily stroll in Belrose, in Sydney’s northern suburbs, on May 9 last year when a red Mercedes (pictured) mounted the curb
‘She’s the one who’s got away with it and we’re the ones who feel like we’ve been prosecuted.’
Ms Gooden suffered memory loss, a fractured left wrist and facial lacerations during the accident.
‘Everyone has told me that I’m a walking miracle. They don’t know how I’m alive, talking, walking. Each of them have come baffled about how I’ve survived,’ she said.
Mecham is disqualified from driving for 10 months and has been ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
Ms Gooden said: ‘My home is my safety net and every time I walk out the door I go ”what if she’s driving?”, ”what if she’s behind me?”.’
Ms Gooden’s head shattered the car’s windscreen and she was thrown about 10 metres into a brick wall (pictured left)
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