Jailed: Dangerous 82mph driver hit and killed 'kind, caring and thoughtful' Birmingham woman and her dog
A speeding driver has been jailed for killing a dog walker and her beloved family pet in Birmingham.
Lucy Atkins, aged 20, and the family's dog Simba died after the collision in West Boulevard in Quinton on June 24 last year.
West Midlands Police said motorist Danielle Mitten, aged 34, had been driving at up to 82mph before the crash, more than double the speed limit of 40mph, before colliding with Lucy at a speed of 63mph.
Mitten pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and was put behind bars on Friday (November 21).
Lucy’s family said: “The loss of Lucy together with our dog Simba has brought immense pain to all our lives. We have described Lucy as a force of nature who touched all she knew or met. She was full of life and enjoyed her life.
"Lucy was loving, kind, caring and thoughtful.
"My son wishes Mitten to know that as much as he wishes every day that his sister Lucy was still here, he does not hold this against her as he wants us all, including her, to be able to move on with our lives and live them in Lucy's honour rather than in sadness. Because this is what Lucy would have wanted.
"Nothing will bring our beloved Lucy and Simba back, but if the pain that I have described that has been visited upon us by this tragedy gets publicity and stops someone else from driving dangerously and killing someone, then Lucy's death will not have been in vain."
Mitten, of Baldwin Road in Kings Norton in Birmingham, was jailed for five years and four months and disqualified from driving for seven years and eight months. She will also have to take an extended driving test if she intends to drive again.
