Imogen Rowland, aged 25, suffered spinal, foot, elbow, pelvis and rib fractures when the VW Golf car she was a passenger in smashed into a wall and hit a lamppost. She was also left devastated after pal Natasha Woroch, 25, who had been sitting next to her in the back of the vehicle, was pronounced dead at the scene. A third passenger was also seriously injured.
Advertisement Advertisement Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Star, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Connor Malpass, 24, was driving them home from a night out through Belton, North Lincolnshire , when he hit 90mph in a 40mph zone on the A161 on July 8 last year. Though Imogen urged him to "slow down", Malpass - who was inhaling nitrous oxide balloons - ignored her pleas before losing control of the car.
She later learned how Malpass made 'no attempt' to help Natasha after the crash and instead used his phone torch to search her body for a watch he had given her. He went on to plead guilty to causing death by dangerous driving and two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. Advertisement Advertisement At Grimsby Crown Court earlier this month, Malpass of Rectory Gardens, Doncaster , was given ten years and six months in prison, banned from driving for 17 years and had his car seized.
But speaking for the first time, Imogen, from Epworth in North Lincolnshire, said no jail term would ever account for the pain and suffering he had inflicted upon her. She said: "No sentence will ever compare to the life sentence we've received. What happened that night wasn't an accident.
It was the driver's choice to drive so dangerously. When he started driving erratically, we were frightened. "We asked him to slow down but he ignored us.
I don't remember the impact of the collision or afterwards due to being unconscious, but it was horrifying to hear in court the details of how the driver behaved after killing my best friend. Advertisement Advertisement Get our new Breaking Newsletter so you don’t miss the biggest stories, as they’re happening "He decided to search Tash's body for a watch he'd given her as a present, even going as far as shining his phone torch on her. He made zero attempts to help her.
" Imogen paid an emotional tribute to Natasha, saying her death was a "complete waste of a beautiful life". She added: "Losing my best friend has been so difficult. Tash will never get to grow old; she will never get to experience excelling in her career.
She will never get to experience falling in love, getting married, and having a family of her own which I know she dreamed of. She would have made the best mum. Advertisement Advertisement "She will never get to celebrate another birthday, eat her favourite food, sing her favourite songs, cuddle her family or dance and laugh with her best friends.
What happened is a complete waste of a beautiful life. Life without Tash feels like there is no colour, everything feels grey. "I think about her every single moment of every day, what our lives could have been together, our bond was irreplaceable, and she was truly one in a million.
” Imogen spent nearly two weeks in hospital after the crash and said the effects of it continued to haunt her both physically and emotionally. She went on: "The last year has been the hardest of my life. I've had to try and cope with the trauma of my injuries and how I've gone from an independent and outgoing person to someone a lot more reserved and reliant on others.
Advertisement Advertisement "My entire outlook on life has now changed and I'm riddled with immense mental and physical pain at every single moment. Keep your finger on the pulse of the city with our daily newsletter, covering breaking news stories and all of the biggest headlines from Sheffield and South Yorks "I'm exhausted at the simplest tasks and I have no idea when or if I will feel better. The physical pain may subside and despite my long list of horrific injuries and ongoing problems I'm having, it's incomparable to the mental wound of losing my best friend.
"It's so painful to contemplate the future in a world without Tash and where I don't know if I'll ever feel like I'm not living in a stranger's body again. I so desperately want my old life back and the realisation that may not be a possibility is sometimes too much to bear." Advertisement Advertisement Following the collision, Imogen instructed serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell to help her access the specialist support and rehabilitation she now requires.
Claire Pilsworth, who is representing her, said after the hearing that the case highlighted the "devastating consequences" of dangerous driving. She said: "The last year and trying to come to terms with the physical and mental impact of the collision has been incredibly difficult for Imogen. She not only suffered extremely serious injuries which still affect her but has also endured the trauma of losing her best friend.
"This incident vividly highlights the devastating consequences of what can happen because of the dangerous actions of those who break the law. While nothing can ever make up for what Imogen has been through we're determined to support her so she can access the ongoing rehabilitation she requires. Advertisement Advertisement "In the meantime, we hope the sentence acts as a deterrent and reminds motorists to think about the consequences of their actions, so the number of people killed or badly injured on our roads reduces.
" Following his sentencing, Rob Mazingham from Humberside Police branded Malpass a "reckless and thoughtless individual". He said: "The uncontrolled speeds that Malpass was driving that day cost a young woman her life, and friends and family are now left with the unimaginable pain of navigating a future without her. He has also left two other people with serious and life-changing injuries.
"Malpass is a reckless and thoughtless individual who had no regard for the safety of the people in his car, or others on the road. While the result at court today will not take away the pain and suffering caused, I am relieved to think such a dangerous driver has been taken off our roads. Advertisement Advertisement "Following a complex investigation, it was established that the vehicle had been fitted with an illegal mileage blocker that when activated also prevented some of the vehicles emergency braking systems from functioning.
"Malpass' ability to control the vehicle was further hampered due to the fact he was inhaling nitrous oxide from balloons whilst driving. "Road safety remains a priority for us, and we will seek to take action against anyone driving senselessly, whether that's by driving excessive speeds, using a phone whilst driving, driving under the influence of drink or drugs, not wearing a seatbelt, or doing anything that puts other safe road users at risk." Floral tributes were left at the scene of the crash in which the Golf collided with a wall.
Advertisement Advertisement One note read: "Our hearts are with you," while another read: "We had some great times together, you'll never be forgotten." Amongst the flowers and cards were also candles, teddy bears and photos. Another tribute said: "Rest in peace beautiful girl, will miss you and remember our memories forever.
Hope you can look down and see how loved you was." Others said the woman was "too perfect for this world" while many expressed how much people loved her and that her loss will leave a massive hole in their lives. In victim impact statements read to the court, Ms Woroch's family and friends described her as "one in a million".
Advertisement Advertisement "This was not an accident – it was a deliberate act that resulted in the death of my child," her mother Rachel said. She described it as the worst day of her life, adding that she felt guilt that "I wasn’t there to protect you". "When I saw the policeman at the door, part of me died that day, too," she added.
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