A Wangaratta man who fled after crashing his car into a parked vehicle on Burke Street was more than three times the legal alcohol limit, a court has heard.

The 36-year-old appeared at Wangaratta Magistrates’ Court on Monday supported by family as he pleaded guilty to driving charges.

The court heard on the night of 26 October last year the accused was driving a grey Mazda sedan when it crashed into the rear of a parked Kia sedan, between Rattray Avenue and Lamont Street.

There was significant damage done to both cars, with the Mazda stopping at the Lamont Street intersection and the Kia mounting a curb and coming to rest at a neighbour’s nature strip.

A witness who heard the crash and a former football teammate of the accused, helped the man move the Mazda off the road, before he fled the scene.

Police arrived shortly after and located the defendant on Salisbury Street.

He was taken to Wangaratta Police Station after admitting to be the driver and returned a blood alcohol reading of .163.

He told police he had drank 10 beers earlier that evening and “stupidly went for a drive around town”.

Defence counsel Geoff Clancy said deteriorating mental health contributed to his client forming an alcohol addiction, often drinking by himself.

“This was a triggering point for him,” he said.

Mr Clancy said his client had begun alcohol counselling after honest and frank discussions with those closest to him.

“He’s getting help for the right reasons and he certainly regrets how his behaviour has impacted on others,” he said.

Magistrate Megan Casey imposed a mandatory minimum 16-month licence disqualification and placed the man on a 12-month good behaviour bond, ordering him to complete treatment for alcohol, undertake a safe driving course and donate $500 to the court fund.

“You’re incredibly lucky that you weren’t injured and even more so no one else was injured,” he said.

“If you had hit a person and seriously injured them, you wouldn’t be in my court, you would be in the dock of the County Court facing a jail term.”