The black Peugeot 308 "filled with smoke" and had to be written off after the incident happened on Priorsfield Road in November 2 last year
A mother and her young daughter have been left with reoccurring nightmares after a Farncombe thief crashed a stolen Royal Mail van into their car, which had to be written off.
Tara Lightfoot’s black Peugeot 308 "filled with smoke" and her four-year-old daughter Mia, and six-month-old son Jake were "screaming" after the incident happened on Priorsfield Road in November 2 last year.
The driver of the stolen van was Jamie Cansell, of Longbourne, Farncombe, who was sentenced to 18 months' imprisonment last Friday (September 9).
The 24-year-old had pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated vehicle taking and to driving without insurance and driving without a license.
“I regularly have sudden emotional outbursts and have considered counselling to try and help overcome this.
“I don’t like driving places I don’t know now as I’m more nervous but I am also very nervous as a passenger too.
“I’ve had no apology from him and feel he is not even sorry for what he’s done.
“I do believe this isn’t the last we will hear of him and next time it may be even worse.
“I’m left with a big scar on my leg that reminds me of this accident every single day.
“My mum Caroline was our rock through all this and was also helping to care for Mia and Jake and I honestly don’t know how we would have been able to have got through without her help.”
Mrs Lightfoot was taking her daughter to nursery near Priorsfield School in November last year, when she spotted the red van coming round the bend ‘way too fast’.
She said: “I started to apply my breaks as soon as I saw it as I knew it was coming too quickly then he started to drive at me coming into my lane.
“There was nothing I could do as I was already applying my brakes as soon as I saw it coming at me.
“On collision my airbag went off and my car was filling with smoke.
“I had glass shattered around me and my leg was cut by the plastic surrounding in my car.
“I tried to get out of the car but my door wouldn’t open so I started banging on my window.
“My two children were screaming, a memory that will never leave me, and I wanted to get to them as soon as possible.”
Mrs Lightfoot and her children were taken to hospital and after being checked over they were allowed to go home that evening.
The 28-year-old added: “I was in a lot of pain and my husband had to take a week off work unpaid to help look after our two children as I was barely able to move.”