The funeral of a "lovely and beautiful" young mother who was killed by a drunk driver is being held in Wirral today.
Kara Prentice died from the injuries inflicted after being struck while getting into a taxi in New Brighton in September 2018.
The Wirral mum of three suffered horrific injuries in the crash and was rushed to a major trauma unit with brain injuries, organ damage and multiple broken bones in her body and face.
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Kara was crushed between two parked cars by a drunk driver as she was getting into the taxi on Seabank Road in New Brighton on September 7, 2018.
Driver Rebecca Hodgson had been speeding down the road in a black Renault Megane, colliding with a red Peugeot and then the taxi and crushing Ms Prentice between them.
Kara, who was 30 at the time of the devastating crash, remained in hospital for nearly two years, having both her legs and part of the left side of her body amputated.
She tragically succumb to her injuries on June 4 this year.
Hodson was detained by police and breathalysed at the roadside where she was found to be close to twice the legal limit.
In June 2020 Hodgson pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and was sentenced to serve three years in prison - reduced from four and a half years due to her early guilty plea.
But she was released this year on tag and license after serving a year of her sentence.
Kara's family have been working with national charity RoadPeace, campaigning to raise awareness of the damage caused by drink driving.
Kara's mum Maria Bruce told the ECHO: “No parent ever thinks they will out-live their children and it is devastating to lose my beautiful daughter in such a needless way.
"Her children will now grow up without their loving mother and that is utterly heart-breaking.
“We are grieving and I don’t want any other family to go what we or poor Kara has been through.
"My message is simple – if you’ve had a drink, don’t drive. It’s as simple as that.
“If the driver who hit her had have listened to that message, we’d still have Kara with us today. Instead, Kara suffered terribly and there is a gaping hole in our lives."
Maria says the release of Rebecca Hodgson, who had been found guilty of dangerous driving or whatever it is, on tag one year into her sentence added "insult to injury."
She said: "The sad part is Kara did longer in hospital than Rebecca did in Prison, this to us as a family is not justice.”
RoadPeace CEO NIck Simmons called for people to think carefully about driving after drinking as lockdown eases on July 19.
He said: “Lockdown closed bars and nightclubs and there was a limit on how many people could meet inside.
"With restrictions ending soon, people will be looking forward to going out and socialising once again.
"We all want to get back to normal and enjoy nights out again, but this could lead to more people potentially considering getting behind the wheel after having a drink.
"However, tragic stories like Kara’s show the catastrophic effects that drink driving has and we urge you to think about her story and get a cab instead.”
Kara's funeral will be held at Landican Cemetery today, Friday 16 July.
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