Horrifying moment British mother, 32, who was three times over the limit after swigging vodka at the wheel with her toddler in the back hit a roundabout launching her Nissan 14 feet into the air
- Tania Chikwature found three times over drink drive limit when she crashed
- She confessed to police that she had 'probably been drinking vodka' at time
- Magistrates jailed her for 26 weeks and said it was lucky no one had died
Terrifying footage captures the moment a mother flipped her car 14 feet into the air after swigging vodka while driving with her baby son.
Tania Chikwature, 32, was three times the drink drive limit when she crashed her Nissan Qashqai while hurtling towards a roundabout on the A605 in Peterborough.
Her toddler, aged 20 months, was sat in the back of the car but fortunately, escaped without any serious injuries.
Chikwature, from Coventry, was jailed for 26 weeks for driving with excess alcohol and dangerous driving, at Peterborough magistrates' court.
Tania Chikwature, 32, was jailed for 26 weeks for drink driving and dangerous driving. Pictured, she arrives at Peterborough magistrates' court
Footage of the horrific collision was captured by the dashcam of a lorry driver, who said it was one of the 'most dangerous pieces of driving' he had witnessed in over 30 years on the road.
Corinne Soanders-Silk, prosecuting, told the court the footage had showed Chikwature overtaking at speed.
She crossed double white lines in the road, which indicated there should be no overtaking.
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Miss Soanders-Silk said Chikwature had been driving from her home in Coventry to Peterborough for a wake when the incident happened.
Her car hit the central reservation in the road, before hitting the roundabout.
The lorry driver who Chikwature had overtaken said he was stunned by the reckless driving.
The driver said: 'I thought ''they are not going to make it.''
'The car flew 12-14 feet in the air, cleared the roundabout and hit a tree, landing on the roof on the other side of the roundabout. I could see utter devastation.
Pictured: Chikwature's wrecked Nissan Qashqai is flipped on its back after flying 14 feet through the air on the A605 in Peterborough
Pictured: Despite the horrific collision, Chikwature's toddler son managed to escape without any injuries
'In 32 years driving, it is one of the most dangerous pieces of driving I have witnessed.'
Blood samples taken from Chikwature after the crash showed her alcohol level would have been at 246mg of alcohol in 100ml of blood.
This is more than three times the legal limit of 80mg in 100ml of blood.
Sarah Dunne, defending, said she could not mitigate the driving, but described Chikwature's son as the principal victim in the case.
She said: 'Nothing you (Judge Ken Sheraton) can say or do that will come close to the guilt, shame and remorse she feels at the potential consequences her driving could have had, principally to her young son, but also to other road users.'
Pictured: Chikwature tries to overtake a lorry at a roundabout as she hurtles along the A605
Pictured: Chikwature loses control of her Nissan Qashqai and smashes into the roundabout
Pictured: The car flies through the air as it hits the roundabout before flipping over and crashing onto the road
Miss Dunne added: 'The child would be a victim if you take the mother away from him by sending her to custody.'
Sentencing, District Judge Ken Sheraton said it was lucky she had not killed someone in the collision.
He said: 'It is only by luck, and certainly no judgement of yours, that you are not here facing more serious charges, and you are fortunate that someone did not die in that accident.'
But Judge Sheraton said custody was the only option, and said the Chikwature would have been travelling at a high speed in the crash.
Chikwature, was jailed for 12 weeks for driving with excess alcohol, and 26 weeks for dangerous driving, to be served concurrently.
She was also banned from driving for three years on each count, and ordered to pay a £115 victim surcharge.
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