A driver who inhaled nitrous oxide from a balloon, then ran over a pedestrian seconds later, has received a 20-month sentence.
Louisa Tunstall inhaled the Class C drug – sometimes referred to as “hippy crack” – while driving in Wigan, Greater Manchester, on May 24, 2024.
Moments later, her Fiat 500 veered onto the footpath, hitting a 51-year-old woman, Greater Manchester Police said.
The pedestrian received serious life-changing leg injuries.
Tunstall, of Bradwell Road, Lowton, received the custodial sentence at Bolton Crown Court on Wednesday.
She had been found guilty of possession of a Class C drug, driving under the influence of drugs and causing serious injury by dangerous driving, said GMP.
She was also banned from driving for two years and eight months, and ordered to take an extended test.
In a victim impact statement, the injured pedestrian said: “I would like to say that this incident has had a significant impact on not only my life but my family’s life.
“As I cannot get upstairs, I need someone to be with me all of the time and my daughter has become my full-time carer which isn’t fair on her as she is currently studying at university.
“When I think about the actions of the driver, I feel like she has turned my world upside down. I have missed so much in my life, and I feel that she can just go about her business as normal with no understanding of the consequences for her actions.”
Following sentencing, Pc Stefan Bielizna from GMP’s roads policing unit, said: “It was made clear by the judge that drivers under the influence of nitrous oxide, like in this case, will be given time behind bars if they choose to get behind the wheel.
“Being in possession and especially under the influence of nitrous oxide has similar effects to other drugs and can severely impair your capability to drive.
“There is no excuse for taking other people’s lives into your hands due to the reckless and selfish behaviours that Tunstall has shown.”
