A BANNED drug and alcohol impaired driver who caused a six-car chain reaction crash in Warrnambool's Kepler Street has escaped serving a jail term.
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Zach O'Connell, 27, of Lawrence Street, Camperdown, pleaded guilty in the Geelong Magistrates Court to about 20 charges.
Those charges included four counts each of drink driving, drug impaired driving and driving while disqualified, three of careless driving as well as single counts of theft, theft from a shop, driving at a dangerous speed and driving in a dangerous manner.
O'Connell was placed on a 24-month community corrections order which aims to get his life back on track.
Conditions of the order include that he do 120 hours of community work as well as assessment, treatment, rehabilitation and programs as requested.
He was also ordered to pay $10,000 compensation and was banned from driving for five years.
On September 28 last year O'Connell was driving a Kluger four-wheel-drive south along Kepler Street at about 12.30pm.
He was speeding and reckless as his girlfriend was in the Warrnambool Base Hospital hospital about to undergo surgery.
O'Connell tried to pass another vehicle that was turning left/east into Club Lane which led to six vehicles being involved in a chain-reaction accident.
The driver of a ute involved in the pile-up only had his vehicle for about a week.
The total damage bill from the accident was estimated to be up to $100,000.
Two people were injured and six vehicles damaged in the crash that pushed vehicles on to footpaths along the busy street.
The accident forced kerbside diners at the Bohemia cafe and pedestrians on the east side of Kepler Street to flee to safety as cars mounted both kerbs.
Kepler Street was closed for nearly an hour while emergency services, including police, ambulance, fire brigade and State Emergency Service volunteers, cleared the accident scene.
