A HEARTBROKEN dad has revealed his son asks “where did mummy go?” after she was killed in a head-on smash by a careless driver.
Terry Foster had told Charlotte Avis “drive safe” before she set off with their three-year-old son for a dentist appointment.
SolentCharlotte Avis was killed in a head-on horror crash[/caption]
SolentDriver Sylwester Mielczarek, whose leg was partially amputated, avoided jail[/caption]
Tragically, the 30-year-old never made it home after Sylwester Mielczarek, 41, killed the mum in a horror crash.
Mielczarek, whose leg was partially amputated in the smash, had lost control of his Volkswagen Passat and and drove on to the wrong side of the road.
He admitted causing death by dangerous driving and causing her son Noah serious injury but avoided jail.
The driver was instead handed an 18 month sentence suspended for two years and was banned from the road for two years.
In a harrowing victim impact statement, Terry told Salisbury Crown Court how his last words to her Charlotte were “drive safe, lub chu” – their way of saying “I love you”.
He continued: “I was cooking a typical dinner, jacket potatoes, beans and cheese, something simple that Charlotte and Noah could come home to but they never did.”
Terry told how he is a now a stay-at-home dad to Noah and daughter Bonnie, who was just three months old when her mum died.
Charlotte’s eldest daughter is being looked after by her paternal grandmother.
The dad said Noah, who has severe autism, often tells him “Mummy’s car is broken, we can’t fix it”.
He also heartbreakingly still asks: “Where did mummy go?”
Terry added: “None of this should have happened.
“The fact of the matter is this disgraceful human being has eradicated a mother from her children.
“Even to this day I still pour out two cups in the morning, I roll two cigarettes, only to realise she’s not coming for it.”
Charlotte’s mum Beverley Avis told of her heartache and hearing Noah ask for his mum while he was treated for his own injuries.
She continued: “The hospital told us that this would be [Noah’s] first memory.”
The court heard the crash took place on December 1, 2022, on the A30 near Sherborne, Dorset.
There was poor visibility due to thick fog and a lack of lighting on the 70mph road.
Mielczarek hit a curb and crossed the central reservation into oncoming traffic.
The court was told there was no evidence that Mielczarek had been distracted by anything in his car.
Investigators were “unable to find any evidence of corrective measures” such as braking or steering in the “several seconds” it took for Mielczarek to end up on the wrong side of the dual carriageway.
Through his lawyer, Mielczarek said: “I know that I did something wrong, that my driving was below the standard in some way.”
He continued: “I only see three possibilities.
“Maybe I lost consciousness, then another option is that there might be another vehicle in front of me driving without lights on or another option, if someone was turning from the road which was on the left where the accident took place.”
Charlotte was declared dead at the scene, while little Noah suffered a broken collarbone, broken arm and a head injury.
Sentencing, Judge Adam Feest KC said: “The head-on collision that resulted because you were in the wrong carriageway has had tragic results for Charlotte and her family.”
SolentCharlotte’s partner spoke of his devastation[/caption] Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
