A 21-year-old woman named Chelsea Standage, residing on Barden Road, Wakefield, has been sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison for causing the death of a 20-year-old passenger, Elliott Lemm, in a car collision.
Additionally, she was charged with two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving for injuries sustained by two other passengers in the vehicle.
Today, at Leeds Crown Court, she received her sentence and will not be eligible for release until she has served at least two-thirds of her term. Furthermore, Standage has been disqualified from driving for a period of 10 years.
The tragic accident occurred in the early hours of Saturday, 13 November 2021, on Wakefield Road in Horbury. Standage lost control of her vehicle while negotiating a bend, resulting in a collision with a wall and a parked vehicle.
According to estimates, her speed exceeded 70mph on the 30mph road. Moreover, a breath test indicated an alcohol level of 63 micrograms per 100 millilitres of breath, surpassing the legal limit of 35 micrograms.
Elliott’s mother Samantha Lemm provided a victim statement to the court.
“I don’t believe I will ever forget the night the police came to my home to tell me that my boy had died.
“The day that I had to close the lid on his coffin and put Elliott into the dark I knew that it was forever.
“Elliot was taken so suddenly there was still so much for him to do and so much I wanted to say to him. Every morning when I wake up my heart is broken.“
Detective Sergeant Paul Lightowler, of the Major Collision Enquiry Team, said: “Chelsea Standage’s reckless actions on that night have had an absolutely devastating impact not just on those in the car but their families, friends and the wider community.
“People may recall this collision and the media coverage of Snapchat messages sent from within the car with one of the passengers telling Chelsea to ‘slow down’.
“Sadly, the speed she was travelling at and her impaired judgement from drinking alcohol killed one person and seriously injured two others.
“Elliott was just 20 years old when he died, with his whole life ahead of him. His family and the police hope that by highlighting the events leading up to this collision that it might make others think twice about driving after a night out.
“I hope that the conclusion of this court case brings some closure for Elliott’s family, and the two other young people injured in this collision, as they continue to rebuild their lives after this truly tragic incident.”
