Woman jailed for crash that killed 'heart of gold' gran

A driver who crossed a carriageway, causing a head-on crash that killed a grandmother, had been on 17 different prescription medications at the time, according to police.

Samantha Curtis, 59, admitted causing death by dangerous driving after the crash on Talvera Way in Northampton on 13 December 2024.

Yvonne Bruce, 83, who was known as Nanny Tiggy to her family, died at the scene, and her grandson Daniel was seriously injured.

Lead investigator Det Con Eleanor Hudson said the case "serves as a lesson to anyone taking prescription medication" that they can "cause inattention and drowsiness, and driving under the influence of them should be treated with great caution."

Curtis, of Bouverie Road, Northampton, was jailed for three years and nine months at a sentencing hearing at Northampton Crown Court on Monday.

She had pleaded guilty to both death by dangerous driving and serious injury by dangerous driving in a hearing at the same court on 8 January.

She was further disqualified from driving for more than eight years and 10 months and will need to take an extended re-test, police said.

Police said the beloved grandmother had only recently moved to Northampton from Essex to be closer to her family.

She had been a passenger in a Vauxhall Agila and her grandson, who had been driving her on her weekly shop, had suffered several severe injuries, including fractures to his legs and ankle.

In his victim statement, he said: "Moving up here had given her a new lease of life and we were all really enjoying seeing her more and spending quality time with her."

Paying tribute, her daughter Suzanne said she was "such a clever, hardworking woman with a strong mind".

"She could be strict at times, but she had a heart of gold," she added.

"She was incredibly generous, sarcastic, and always ready with a sharp, witty comment.

"Yet to her grandchildren she was a complete softy - she loved watching them grow and was always there whenever they needed her."

Police said Daniel's quality of life had suffered due to the physical and mental scars of the collision.

Det Con Hudson, of the force's serious collision investigation unit, added: "This incident demonstrates in tragic detail the consequences of dangerous driving - one minute you are living your life as normal and seconds later you have destroyed a family.

"Let this case be a lesson to everyone who gets behind the wheel - driving is a privilege and in the wrong hands, a car can kill."

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