Tributes to 'force of nature' killed in taxi crash

The family of a woman killed when she was thrown through the window of a taxi during a crash have paid tribute to a "force of nature" whose death had "left an enormous void".

Donna Brighton, from Leicester, had been out with her friends celebrating her 60th birthday on 16 September 2023 and was making her way home from the railway station.

Her family said BBC Radio 2 in the Park was taking place in Leicester "so taxis were in short supply", so Brighton and a couple she had been talking to agreed to share a taxi home before the crash with a car in Glenfield Road at about 20:25 BST.

Taxi driver Sarwar Mohammad and car driver Thomas Goulty were sentenced for their roles in the crash on Friday.

Fellow taxi passengers - brother and sister Steve and Andrea Sidsaff - were seriously injured in the crash, Leicester Crown Court heard.

Goulty, 36, of Aikman Avenue, Leicester, was sentenced after admitting causing Brighton's death and causing serious injuries to the other passengers by careless driving.

The court heard Goulty drank two lagers before he drove his silver Vauxhall Astra at 64mph (102km/h) in a residential 30mph (48km/h) limit area before crashing into 69-year-old Mohammad's Peugeot Expert Tepee taxi.

Prosecutor Steven Bailey said the crash happened as a result of the "combined bad driving of Thomas Goulty and Sarwar Mohammad", while the taxi was making a right turn towards Westfield Road across the central reservation of the dual carriageway.

Bailey told the court that it seemed Brighton was helping Mohammad with directions as to where to turn and when to turn when he "allowed himself to become distracted".

Goulty was jailed for two years, while Mohammad, of Willow Brook Road in Leicester, who had been driving the taxi and admitted the same offences, was handed a six-month prison sentence - suspended for two years - and told he must do 100 hours of unpaid work.

In a statement, Brighton's family said she was "a force of nature, a source of inspiration, and the epitome of love and strength".

They added: "She touched the lives of everyone she encountered through her kindness.

"She was compassionate, always ready to offer a helping hand to those in need and always asking after others. She had a gift for making people feel valued, supported and cared for.

"Donna was always the heart and soul of family gatherings, bringing joy and warmth to every occasion. She was a devoted wife, mother, daughter, nanna, sister, auntie, in-law and friend.

"When our family spoke about her greatest achievements in life, despite a long list of accomplishments, we all agreed that her greatest achievement was simply that she knew how to do life well.

"All three simply wanted to get home safely. The events of that night continue to haunt every member of the family. No amount of time can ever undo the devastation of that moment.

"We firmly believe this tragedy was avoidable. The decisions made that night by Mr Goulty and Mr Mohammad did not just change one life; they devastated an entire family and affected countless others. The consequences of those choices will remain with us for the rest of our lives."

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