Dominic Fryer death: Mother-of-five jailed after man killed in crash

A mother-of-five has been jailed after killing a 51-year-old grandfather in a car crash.

Dominic Fryer was a passenger in Rachael Boardman's Peugeot 206 when it left Lullington Road, Overseal, in Derbyshire, on 10 September 2022.

Boardman, 43, had alcohol, cocaine and cannabis in her system at the time of the crash, which also seriously injured her friend Michael Osborne.

She was jailed for six years at Derby Crown Court on Wednesday.

The court heard how Boardman, of Fernlea Drive, Linton, was drinking at a party with a group of people during the evening of 9 September 2022.

She was told by a friend not to drive earlier in the evening, after she was seen drinking and smoking cannabis.

The court heard she also admitted to taking cocaine during the evening.

Despite a taxi being booked, Boardman left the party to give Mr Osborne and his friend Mr Fryer, from Netherseal, a lift home.

Around 04:30 GMT, Mr Osborne's sister, who stayed at the party, received a panicked call from her brother saying the car had crashed off an unknown road.

The emergency services were called and the car was found at 06:30 GMT, about two hours after the crash took place.

The court heard that Mr Fryer suffered a fatal injury to his spine and was pronounced dead at the scene.

He was not wearing a seatbelt, the court was told.

Mr Osborne suffered two punctured lungs and a fractured hip, while Boardman was cut from the driver's seat and taken to hospital where she remained in a coma for three weeks.

She suffered a dislocated hip, numerous broken ribs and a punctured lung.

The court heard that blood tests showed she was almost two times the drink drive limit and was over the limit for both cocaine and cannabis.

In a statement read out in court, his wife Kristy, said: "Dominic was so unique, a hard man to replace in our lives. He was a hard-working man, he worked full-time no matter what job it was to be able to support his family.

"It feels awful to no longer have that happiness around us.

"Our world is a lot sadder and empty since his death. Life is so hard everyday without Dom. It hits us all so hard that things will never be the same."

Temp Det Con Dan Booth said: "This was a tragic and needless loss of life and is another reminder about the dangers of the so-called 'fatal four' that police often speak about.

"Driving whilst impaired through drink or drugs, driving too fast for the conditions and not wearing a seatbelt are three of those four, which combined together, led to the loss of Mr Fryer's life."

Boardman pleaded guilty to death by dangerous driving and causing injury by dangerous driving at Derby Crown Court in September.

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