Angmering A280 crash death: Tribute to Nicola Drummond

Nicola Drummond was driving with her children Jacob and Lucy when their car was struck head-on on the Angmering bypass.

All three were injured, but as she lay dying in the wreck she begged emergency services to reach her children first.

In a case at Lewes Crown Court Mrs Drummond, 44, formerly of Long Furlong, Findon, was described as an “extraordinary woman” in the “prime of her life”.

Judge Christine Laing QC said that while Jacob, then aged 14, and Lucy, then aged six, did not suffer serious injuries, the mental scars of seeing their mother die in the “utterly terrifying” crash may take a long time to heal.

She jailed 75-year-old Ronald Dossett for one year after he admitted causing death by careless driving.

Read more on this story: Harrowing last words of dying mum to emergency services amid horror crash

In court, Mrs Drummond’s husband Steven made an emotional statement about the impact of the crash which happened on the A280 on January 17, 2019.

He said: “Nicola was everything to me and the children. We have always considered ourselves a solid, independent family.

The air ambulance was called to the scene and airlifted Nicola to hospital

“Her death has been an enormous loss to us all. She was my soul mate and my best friend.

“We shared nearly three decades together, and we counted all the good things and the bad things that life can throw at you.

“She never felt phased by this. She was a positive, forthright, go-getter and always had the best interests of her family at heart.

“This loss has changed our lives beyond words.”

Police at the scene of the crash in Angmering

Mr Drummond said the family had worked on a dairy farm in the county but have now had to give this up along with his home.

He said Jacob and Lucy were “devastated” by the loss of their mum.

“I hope that they never forget how much they meant to Nicola,” he said. “It hurts me deeply knowing that when they are my age this will be a distant memory for them, and it may be hard to keep the memory alive.

“I cannot imagine losing a mother at their young age.”

Mr Drummond said the death has also had an impact on Nicola’s wider family including her father and her sister.

Emergency services at the scene of the crash in Angmering

“She meant so much to them, words cannot describe what they have been going through for these past two years as our lives continue without Nicola.

“This accident has devastatingly affected us all. We cannot turn back the clock, I just hope lessons are learned and that Nicola can be remembered in the light that she deserves.”

Judge Christine Laing QC said: “We have heard deeply moving evidence of her loss to those left behind.

“It is almost impossible to contemplate, the lives of her husband and children have been changed forever.

“No sentence I can pass in any way reflects the loss of that extraordinary woman.”

The judge jailed Dossett, of Marks Tey Road, Fareham, for one year.