Mum on 'unbearable' moment her daughter, 22, was killed by drink-driver
Claire Danks, right, with her daughter Lauren - Credit: Family
A heartbroken mother has spoken of the "unbearable" moment she was told her beloved 22-year-old daughter had been killed by a drink-driver - saying it was "like someone dropping a bomb on your family".
Lauren Danks was travelling home from her first shift as a senior beauty specialist at Center Parcs, in Elveden, when she was struck by a car being driven at 124mph by Nelson Curtis on the A11, at Red Lodge.
Lauren Danks was travelling on the A11 at Red Lodge - Credit: Cambridgeshire Police
In the year of the fifth anniversary of the tragedy, Lauren's mother Claire Danks said of the crash: "I knew something was wrong because she was not answering her phone."
Her husband Robert had gone to look for Lauren and returned to their home in Soham, Cambridgeshire with police to break the most devastating news.
"He held my hands and said to me that Lauren had been killed," she told Cambridgeshire Police's Our Stories podcast.
"I went inside in disbelief.
"I'm not really sure I have any words for it. I think it was just total shock and disbelief. I really didn't even process what was going on."
She said she and Robert felt "numb" before telling Lauren's brothers Kieran, Bobby and Jayden the morning after the crash in November 2016.
"The only way I can describe it is like someone dropping a bomb on your family," said Mrs Danks, who has since become an ambassador for Road Victims Trust.
"As a mum, you're supposed to protect your children and want to make things better.
Lauren Danks with her mum Claire, father Robert, and brothers Kieran, Bobby and Jayden Picture: SUPPLIED BY FAMILY - Credit: Archant
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"But there was no way I could give them a cuddle and tell them it was going to be better."
Curtis, an electrician of High Street, Lakenheath, was later jailed for seven years for his reckless actions. He was more than twice over the drink-drive limit.
However, Mrs Danks said: "I remember him being sentenced and thinking that's quite unfair - in about three years, he'd be out.
"He can come out and start living his life, yet we have to live with the heartbreak and pain of not seeing Lauren every day for the rest of our lives."
Of life without Lauren, she said: "It's different. She's a big part of our life every day and always will be."
Lauren Danks remains a big part of her family's lives - Credit: Archant
She urged others to think before drink-driving, adding: "I hope by talking about what's happened to our family, we will make a difference and bring some awareness."
