Natalie Jane Patterson, 40, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday charged with ill-treating a child.
On May 28 last year, the defendant and her child were in Christchurch for a sporting event.
She had been drinking that afternoon before making the 360km journey back to Dunedin.
At about 1.30am the next day, Patterson crashed her car into a traffic island in Stuart St.
The vehicle ended up wedged on top of a large boulder in the middle of the island.
The collision was so forceful that the boulder was moved, the car windscreen was smashed and the front bumper was significantly damaged.
When police arrived, Patterson and her daughter were walking towards their home.
The victim was barefoot, clutching a doll and crying.
She told police she was scared.
Patterson’s speech was slurred, she smelled of alcohol and struggled to walk.
An evidential test revealed a breath-alcohol level of 1191mcg — the legal limit is 250mcg.
The defendant told officers she had been drinking wine in Christchurch and fell asleep at the wheel before crashing.
Judge David Robinson said Patterson needed support and restrictions to deal with her drinking problem.
"What stands out is that alcohol is the issue, and you need as much help around that as you can [get]," he said.
"If there’s a teachable moment ... I think it’s now," Judge Robinson said.
He sentenced Patterson to 12 months’ supervision.
In December last year, Patterson was fined $1000, made to pay court costs of $130 and disqualified from driving for seven months after admitting to charges of drink-driving and careless driving, which related to the same incident.
