Popular veterinary nurse Rachel Radwell lost her life after a motorist taking a sharp bend on the wrong side caused a head-on crash, a court heard.
Rachel was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge, but sadly died later in hospital. The driver of the other car who crashed into her and caused her death escaped uninjured.
Vytautas Kiminius, 35, killed 46-year-old Rachel of Crane Avenue, Yaxley, just after 2am on November 12, 2018, after the crash on the B1095, Ramsey Road, Peterborough.
Kiminius denied dangerous driving but was found guilty following an earlier trial.
Today (Thursday) he was jailed for four years and six months.
Kiminius, of Sudbury Court, Peterborough, pleaded guilty to causing death by driving his Range Rover while uninsured but denied causing death by dangerous driving. He was found guilty of the offence following a trial in February.
Today (May 14) he was sentenced at Peterborough Crown Court.
Sgt Mark Dollard, from the Road Policing Unit, said: “Rachel was a well-loved family member, friend and colleague who was tragically killed by Kiminius.
“He was driving at night on an unlit road and thought it was okay to cut a blind corner.
“This put him on the wrong side of the road resulting in him colliding head-on with Rachel’s car. This needs to be a stark warning of the consequences posed by driving dangerously, it destroys lives”.
He said: “I have been amazed by the Radwell family, their patience and understanding throughout this whole investigation.”
Three years ago, Rachell had been short listed for a Vet Nurse of the Year award.
She had been chosen for the Ceva Animal Welfare awards after her work at Wood Green, the animal charity, where she had been based for almost 25 years.
The charity cares for dogs, cats, small animals like rats and guinea pigs, and its Godmanchester headquarters is one of the largest re-homing centres in Europe.
Rachel helped the centre become the only re-homing charity in the UK to gain gold standard accreditation as a Cat Friendly Clinic in 2015; she also home fostered some of the animals.
Instead of flowers her family requested donations at funeral service in Rachel’s memory for Woodgreen Animal Shelter and the Addenbrooke’s Charitable Trust.
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