A WOMAN whose careless driving caused the death of her best friend has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Alex Patricia Nicholson was driving under the influence of drink and drugs when she 'lost control' and flipped a car on a road outside Kendal. 

Passenger Alicia Brunskill, 27, was killed in the incident, which happened at Singleton Park Road on May 26 last year.

The Westmorland Gazette: Alicia BrunskillAlicia Brunskill (Image: Submitted)

Preston Crown Court heard Nicholson, of Hall Park in Burneside, had drunk large amounts of alcohol and taken cocaine before getting behind the wheel of her friend's car.

Nicholson was driving a black Ford Fiesta when she hit a banking causing the vehicle to flip. Earlier that evening she had been drinking in a pub in Kendal town centre and admitted to officers that she had consumed cocaine.

Nicholson was arrested at the scene by officers before she and two other passengers were taken to hospital for medical treatment.

Temporary Detective Superintendent Dave Cooper, who oversees the Constabulary’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit, said: “Our thoughts are with the family of Alicia Brunskill, who died because her friend, Alex Nicholson, was driving whilst under the influence of drugs.

The Westmorland Gazette: Alicia BrunskillAlicia Brunskill (Image: Submitted by Cumbria Police)

“It is never acceptable for a person to get behind the wheel of a vehicle whilst under the influence of alcohol or drugs. The consequences are all too often catastrophic for everyone involved and in this case a family have needlessly lost a loved one.

“This was not a case of a tragic incident or accident, this was a decision made by Nicholson to commit an offence that resulted in the death of another human being, her friend, and was entirely avoidable. Not only has a life been lost but the lives of all those involved have been devastated for a lifetime.     

“Our message and appeal is clear – do not drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs and do not get into a vehicle if you suspect the driver is under the influence. Death and seriously injury is the likely consequence and regardless of any custodial sentence, a life sentence of guilt and regret is inevitable.”