Mum, 30, dies after losing both legs when drunk driver crashed into her

A mum-of-three died two years after suffering horrific injuries when she was struck by a drink-driver.

Kara Prentice, from Wirral, died this year from injuries inflicted after she was hit while getting into a taxi in New Brighton, Merseyside, in September 2018.

Rebecca Hodgson, 38, was driving the Renault Megane that crashed into Ms Prentice, with an expert report concluding that she was travelling between 50-55mph on a 30mph road prior to the crash.

Ms Prentice, who was 30 at the time of the crash, suffered horrific injuries and was rushed to a major trauma unit with brain injuries, organ damage and multiple broken bones in her body and face.

She remained in hospital for nearly two years, having both her legs and part of the left side of her body amputated but died as a result of injuries on 4 June this year.

Now her devastated mother, Maria Bruce, is pleading with people to be aware of their drinking in the run up to Christmas.

She told the Liverpool Echo: “It’s Christmas so people are more likely to go out and have a drink, maybe more than usual.

“Of course it’s everyone's right to go out and enjoy themselves, that’s absolutely fine but people need to also know how their drinking could cause devastation.”

Ms Bruce, 50, added: “To lose a loved one is difficult any time of the year but at Christmas it must be so hard.”

She said she wants landlords, owners and staff in bars and restaurants to act if they are aware of people who are intending to drink drive.

UK law states that while it is an offence to ‘knowingly sell or attempt to sell alcohol to a person who is drunk’, there are no legal obligations currently in place to make the staff act to prevent someone from drink driving.

All premises that are permitted to sell alcohol are required to take 'reasonable steps to prevent drunk driving' as part of their licensing obligations, but they are not currently held accountable in the event a person does commit an offence related to drunk driving.

Ms Bruce added: “Since Kara died and even before after the accident, it’s been so devastating.

“I just want people to be made aware that one person’s selfish actions getting into a car drunk cause a ripple effect and things need to change.

“I want people to think before they get in their cars, no one should have to go through this, especially at Christmas.”