A young American woman has spoken of the horror of killing her best friend in a drink-driving crash, six years after the tragedy. Laura and the driver had been inseparable since childhood, but a night out ended in tragedy when the driver, then 19, got behind the wheel after drinking.
The pair had been at a nightclub where they consumed vodka and Red Bulls and a shot, despite being under the legal drinking age of 21. After dancing for four hours, the driver felt sober and drove home. On the way, the car veered off the road, skidded down a slope and smashed into a tree, killing Laura instantly.
The driver suffered a severe head injury and was hospitalised. A blood test showed she was nearly one and a half times over the legal alcohol limit. She was charged with manslaughter while driving under the influence and later accepted a plea bargain of four years in prison and two years' probation.
Since the crash, the driver has spoken to schools about the dangers of drink-driving. She said: 'I miss Laura so much – I know she paid the ultimate price and I have the rest of my life ahead of me. But I have to wake up every morning without my best friend, and the devastating knowledge that I killed her. That's my life sentence.'
