Drunk delivery driver seriously injured mother and daughter in horror crash on A63 near Selby as they returned from a pharmacy

Juri Pihlak, 41, was seen by witnesses 'swerving across the central white line and bouncing off the curb' while travelling along the A63 between Newsholme and Osgodby, near Selby, on the afternoon of February 12 last year.

As he attempted to negotiate a bend he once again drifted into the opposite carriageway in his Mazda and struck Rachel Matthews' Jaguar head-on as the mother and daughter travelled home from collecting a prescription at a pharmacy.

Mrs Matthews had to be cut free of the car and suffered a number of serious leg injuries that she may never fully recover from, while her daughter broke her arm.

Pihlak, of Brayton near Selby, worked as a courier for a delivery firm and had two previous convictions for drink driving in 2007 and 2010. On the day of the collision he claimed to have drunk 'a couple of pints' but was estimated to have been between one and a half and two times over the legal alcohol limit.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

York Crown Court heard today that Mrs Matthews spent two weeks in Leeds General Infirmary with fractures to her femur and kneecap and had to have several operations. She was unable to walk properly until May and still uses a mobility scooter and wheelchair.

A couple travelling behind Pihlak had already called 999 shortly before the collision to report that he had clipped the curb at least five times and had nearly struck the rear of a van ahead of him. They believed he had reached speeds of up to 90mph over five miles.

In her victim impact statement, Mrs Matthews said her quality of life had changed 'massively' and that she had lost confidence and become reliant on others. She had had to undergo bone grafts and was told she faced a long recovery. She has begun a phased return to work but remains in pain.

Defending, Pihlak's solicitor Michael Walsh said his client 'expressed remorse' about the injuries he had caused and had been bedridden himself for six months with leg injuries sustained in the crash. Since an interim driving disqualification was ordered, his employers had moved him into a warehouse management role. He was said to have been a 'trusted' driver who had had no negative reviews in the previous three years he had held the role. Pihlak lives with his partner and three children and was described as 'honest and reliable'.

Judge Simon Hickey rejected calls for a suspended sentence and jailed him for three years with a driving ban of six and a half years.

"You should have been nowhere near a car. Mrs Matthews suffered significant injuries and was extremely distressed as she was trapped and could not get to her daughter. She is still in discomfort."