Guilt will be with me forever says drink-drive mum who killed a baby
AWOMAN who caused the death of a baby in a drink-drive crash spoke of her sorrow and guilt before she was sentenced to four years in prison.
Eva Maria Nichifor was just six months old when she died of appalling head injuries.
Lucy Dyer, 23, yesterday admitted causing her death by dangerous driving and drink-driving.
The mum of one had written a letter to Swansea Crown Court saying she was “truly sorry” and that the “guilt will stay with her forever”. She sobbed throughout the proceedings.
Dyer was drinking in pubs in Llanelli on October 8 last year before driving home and crashing her blue BMW 3 series car into a family’s blue Vauxhall Vectra as she sped through a busy crossroads.
She hit the side of the car carrying Eva Maria and her parents Carmen and Florin. The infant, strapped into a child seat on the back seat next to her mother, suffered “catastrophic and irreversible brain damage” in the impact, the court heard.
Inconsolable
Judge Rhys, who also issued a fiveyear driving ban, said Dyer’s actions were “inexcusable and beyond belief” with “catastrophic consequences”.
Prosecutor Carina Hughes said Dyer had been behaving in a “merry” and “boisterous” way before leaving a pub, according to onlookers, and she had to be stopped by staff from taking a drink with her.
Ms Hughes said: “When she was told she could not take the drink she downed it and handed the empty glass to door staff. Despite drinking, the defendant got into her BMW.”
Witnesses said they saw Dyer, of Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, driving at speed and not braking as she headed through a junction at Heol Goffa, where she should have given way.
After colliding with the family’s car, Dyer ran down the road before returning and sitting on a bank with her cousin who had been in the passenger seat when the accident happened.
Ms Hughes said: “The impact caused Carmen to exit the car holding Eva Maria and screaming for help.
“Witnesses called the emergency services and a family living on the street assisted. Carmen was so distraught she dropped to her knees and was naturally inconsolable.”
The prosecutor said a witness held Eva Maria and has since “had difficulty sleeping” and every time she closes her eyes “can hear the mother’s screams” and sees the stricken baby.
Police arrived and approached Dyer who they said smelled of alcohol and was in “visible distress”.
When she was asked how much she had to drink, she told officers she had two glasses of vodka and lemonade. A test later revealed she was almost twice the legal drink-driving limit. Dyer repeatedly asked officers: “Did I kill the baby?” and said she “never meant to hurt anyone”.
Eva Maria was taken to the University Hospital of Wales but surgeons were unable to save her and she died in the intensive care unit the next day.
Her family, who had moved to the UK from Romania three years ago, had been on their way to get a takeaway after Florin finished his shift as a Deliveroo driver. In a statement read to the court, he said: “I came to this country to ensure a better life for my family and ended up tearing it apart. Since this tragedy I couldn’t sleep. I eat very rarely and when I close my eyes we only see her.
“Where we live we can’t see our place without our Eva because everywhere we look we see only memories of her – how happy she was with us and how we learned with her what happiness means.
“What we want is justice for our baby, taken from us too soon.”
Judge Rhys offered his condolences and added: “A child’s life is an incalculable blessing. The sentence I pass will do little to comfort the parents or wider family.” Kate Williams, defending, said Dyer accepted responsibility.
She added: “With tragic irony she had gone out because it was the anniversary of her father’s death and her cousin had asked her to take her mind off that. She decided to have a few drinks and make that terrible decision to get in her car and drive.”
Dyer had no previous convictions or driving penalties and is the single mother of a young boy with autism. She had been remanded in custody for protection against threats.