A DRIVER who launched a mum the "length of a cricket pitch" when he ploughed into her as she walked with her baby in a pram has been jailed.
Becky Sharp, 36, was left in a coma for two months after being catapulted into the air "like a ragdoll" during the hit-and-run.
She was taking her 11-month-old baby daughter to the park when she was struck by drink-driver Dale Clark.
The hero mum-of-three managed to push the pram out of the way of Clark's speeding car just in time to save her baby daughter.
Clark, 38, has now been jailed for three years and eight months after he admitted causing serious injury by dangerous driving, failing to stop at an accident and drink driving.
In a victim impact statement, Becky's husband Dan described the difficulty of dealing with his children's "pain and confusion" that their mum was not there while she recovered in hospital.
He added: "Thankfully, our 11-month-old daughter was left unhurt thanks to Becky's instincts to save her life in that moment.
"But the lives of Becky, our daughters and our family and friends were changed forever when Dale Clark made the decision to leave her for dead in the street.
"She has missed our daughter's first birthday, first tooth and first steps – such precious times all stolen by Dale Clark.
"The whole period feels like a lifetime and I still don't know if I will be able to rebuild our life together."
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Bournemouth Crown Court heard the scaffolder had "girls and drugs on his mind" when he hit Becky on April 11.
Clark had been driving at 40mph in a 30mph zone with his phone, which was being used as a sat nav, on his lap.
He was in the right-hand lane when he suddenly veered across to the left where Becky was crossing the road with her baby.
Andy Houston, prosecuting, said he "shot across and accelerated hard" as he smashed into the mum.
He added: "Mrs Sharp heroically pushed away the buggy to save the child.
"She was projected about the length of a cricket pitch in the air, thrown like a ragdoll.
"She landed face down with blood around her nose, struggling to breathe."
Becky was airlifted to hospital in a vegetative state after suffering a traumatic brain injury, fracture to the skull, ribs, pelvis and lower left leg and a lacerated spleen.
She remained in a coma for eight weeks and is still undergoing rehabilitation.
Clark meanwhile had fled the scene, with police later discovering he had contacted his drug dealer less than two hours before the crash.
A cleaner at the inn where he was staying also found two empty litre bottles of vodka in his room.
When a police officer phoned Clark, he asked if Becky was still alive and said he "couldn't deal with it".
A breath test later revealed 46 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath – with the legal limit 35.
When quizzed by cops, Clark admitted drinking vodka and taking £210 worth of cocaine before the crash.
He claimed Becky "literally stepped out of f***ing nowhere" and said he "s**t myself and ran away" when he saw her on the ground.
The court was told the mum has ongoing cognitive issues and problems with her memory.
She also suffers from fatigue and has physical complications from her leg fracture that causes pain still.
Speaking after the sentencing, the brave mum said: "I have no memory of the accident so it was good to hear from the barristers what happened.
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"My message to anyone who thinks about drinking or taking drugs and driving is never do it, it's not good for anyone.
"My life has been turned upside down because of it and his (Clark) life has been turned upside down. The outcome is never good."
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