Mum dies in drunk-drive smash after celebrating passing paramedic exams

A mum-of-two has died after driving while ‘significantly intoxicated’ following celebrations for passing her paramedic exams.

Sarah Giffen-Smith, 32, from Leyland, in Lancashire, died after getting into her Audi A1 while drunk and crashing into a tree on the night of Friday October 14th 2022. The mother of two boys drove around a right-hand bend in West Paddock where she lost control of the vehicle and drove across a grassed-area before smashing into a tree.

Fire crews had to cut the army veteran out of her car and ambulance crews rushed her to the Royal Preston Hospital. Despite surgeon’s best efforts, carrying out an operation to repair her badly damaged liver, she passed away the next day.

An inquest at Preston’s Coroner’s Court heard marks on the road and the grassed-area indicated that she had not attempted to brake after her car left the road.

Collision Investigator PC Brendan Williams said Sarah had been wearing her seatbelt at the time of the crash and an examination found there were no defects with the car, adding: “The vehicle had left the road to its offside, hit the kerb, travelled across the grass then across the junction with Jubilee Court before colliding with a tree.

“There weren’t any witnesses but there was some CCTV from a property which showed the latter stage of the collision. The vehicle had just negotiated a right-hand bend. It just appeared that the driver continued to drive right and then left the road.

“There was no attempt to return back to the carriageway and no evidence the vehicle was braking. If a vehicle is braking when it goes onto the grass, which was very soggy at the time, the wheels tend to lock before the ABS releases and you get drag marks that pull the grass up but there was no evidence that was the case.

“There was nothing that suggested anything other than driver error.”

PC Williams also said a toxicology report showed Sarah had been ‘significantly intoxicated’ at the time of the accident. Her blood alcohol reading was 228mcg, almost three times the legal limit for driving.

Assistant Coroner Kate Bisset said: “She had been celebrating passing her paramedic examinations prior to getting into her vehicle on the night in question.” In conclusion the Coroner added: “Sarah Smith died at Royal Preston Hospital from injuries sustained in a road traffic collision. She had consumed alcohol before getting into her vehicle.”

A post mortem CT scan revealed that Sarah’s liver was ‘shattered in multiple parts’ as the cause of death was given as traumatic liver injury. Sarah’s friends have set up a fundraising page where they have collected more than £6,000 to help her husband Peter pay for her funeral. 

Pauline Evans who set up the fundraiser said: “I am raising funds on behalf of Sarah’s family. Sarah, a beautiful young mother of two boys, tragically lost her life in a car accident on 14/10/22 in Leyland.

“Please help me in raising as much as we can to give Sarah the send-off she deserves and support her two boys who are now left without a mum. Sarah was a beautiful soul and served in the army for 10 years. She was selfless, kind and a great mum.

“Anyone who knew Sarah would say she was the life and soul of the party with an amazing sense of humour and life will never be the same without her.

“Sarah we love you forever and always.”