A driver who left his friend to die in a car wreck after he caused a horrific head-on crash has been jailed for nine years.
Ross Cooney, 33, careered onto the wrong side of the road to overtake a number of cars before ploughing into a Mercedes CLK.
He managed to get out of the blue Ford Mondeo he was driving and fled the scene leaving his badly injured friend Kelly Meek, 45, in the back seat.
After passersby called 999, an ambulance and police rushed to the scene of the crash in Dunedin Road in Corby, Northamptonshire.
Miss Meek was pronounced dead at the scene, while a 57-year-old woman driving the blue Mercedes suffered serious injuries.
Cooney, of Corby, was arrested hours later and charged with causing death and serious injury by dangerous driving.
On Monday, he was jailed for nine years at Northampton Crown Court after he was found guilty of the charges following a trial.
Prosecutors said Cooney was driving on Dunedin Road in Corby when he crashed at 10am on September 10, 2019.
He was also banned from driving for ten years and will have to complete an extended driving test before getting his licence back.
Detective Constable Janette Maitland, of Northamptonshire Police, said: "No sentence will ever make up for the death of Kelly Meek and the injuries caused to the driver of the Mercedes, but I am pleased that Cooney has been found guilty and sent to prison for his crimes.
"Not only did he drive incredibly dangerously on that day in 2019, and cause a horrific collision, but shockingly he ran away, leaving two women with serious injuries behind.
"One of them – Kelly, was supposed to be his friend, but instead of helping and getting her medical attention, he coldly left her as he fled the scene.
"Kelly's family have shown real composure and dignity throughout this lengthy process which I commend them highly for and I hope the conclusion of this case provides them with some semblance of closure.
"I also hope this brings some type of closure to the driver of the Mercedes and helps with her recovery after this awful event."
