Shocking footage shows West Yorkshire horror crash that left pregnant mum with 'life-changing' injuries

In the video, a speeding Audi estate car moves onto the wrong side of the road as it rounds a corner, before smashing into a Land Rover Defender driven by Tanya Palmer. The huge impact of the crash, which took place in April last year, sent Tanya’s green 4x4 spinning across the road.

Tanya, who was 22 weeks pregnant at the time, said she first thought “God, he’s going too quick”, before realising she had “nowhere to go” as the silver car slammed into her. She was rushed to hospital with injuries including a “major cut” to her head, a dislocated shoulder and ligament injuries.

And more than a year on, Tanya is still waiting for ankle surgery as well as suffering ongoing speech and memory problems.

The expectant mum, who delivered her healthy baby months afterwards, later learned the other driver refused to be tested for drugs or alcohol by police. He was jailed for 12 months and banned from driving for 3.5 years for failing to provide a specimen for analysis.

West Yorkshire Police released the chilling crash footage as part of a crackdown on drink driving over the Christmas period – and Tanya has warned those tempted to consume alcohol or drugs before getting behind the wheel to think twice.

She said: “Not only will it have consequences for their life, but the person who they will have a collision with, or they run into it changes their life forever.”

Tanya said she was driving along a familiar road in West Yorkshire when the collision took place. She said: “I just gripped onto the steering wheel, and that’s probably one of the last things that I remember. I went to the LGI and went through the major trauma unit. I had about three or four days in hospital, because when I had the collision, I was actually 22 weeks pregnant.

“I had various cuts and bruises, a major cut to the middle of my forehead, behind my ear, dislocated shoulder, torn deltoid ligament injury. I’m waiting for surgery on at least one of my ankles. I’m also under the care of a neurologist because I now have problems with my memory and my speech."

Tanya said she had been tested for drink and drugs at the scene but was shocked to learn the other driver had refused. She said: “I gave mine, and I also did the drugs test they wanted me to do, and I could hear various little things going on in the background because I believe we both ended up in the same hospital. I actually asked a member of the hospital staff whether or not he was OK and then that came out. It wasn’t very nice.”

Inspector Chris Robinson, of West Yorkshire Police, said Tanya’s story should make those tempted to drink and drive “think again” this holiday season. He said: “We talk a lot about the consequences and cost for the offender because it is their behaviour that we need to change, but Tanya’s story really brings it home the impact that drink and drug driving has on other innocent road users.”