An ambulance driver killed a patient and another motorist just before Christmas after driving into oncoming traffic, a court has heard.
Julie Ijere, 59, had two people and a female colleague in her vehicle when she ‘drifted’ into the path of an oncoming vehicle.
The catastrophic collision left patient Anthony Dawbarn, 93, and the driver of the car she struck, solicitor’s firm employee Jane Blampied, 70, seriously injured.
Both were treated at the scene on the B1506 between Kentford and Newmarket in Suffolk and taken to hospital where they died a few days later.
Ijere was also seriously injured and taken to hospital for treatment.
She has now admitted causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving at Suffolk Magistrates Court hearing this week which she arrived at on crutches.
Grandmother Julie Ijere, 59, has been warned she could be jailed after she admitted two counts of causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving
The hearing was told that the driving of the mother-of-one, who has four grandchildren, fell ‘just below the threshold for dangerous driving’.
The case was adjourned until next month for sentencing and the defendant was warned she could be jailed as the magistrates asked for an ‘all options’ report from the Probation Service which will consider the possibility of a prison term.
If the magistrates consider the maximum 12-month jail term they can impose for an offence to be insufficient, the case will be referred to Ipswich Crown Court.
Ijere was driving the Fiat Patient Transport Ambulance on the B road which runs along the border of Suffolk and Cambridgeshire at about 7.30pm on December 19, 2023.
The vehicle was allowed to wander into the opposite lane where it struck the blue Volkswagen Golf driven by Ms Blampied ‘head-on’.
Emergency services were scrambled to the scene and ambulance passenger Mr Dawbarn, of Newemarket, and Ms Blampied, of Bury St Edmunds, were taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge but both died two days later.
Law firm worker Jane Blampied, 70, pictured, and ambulance patient Anthony Dawbarn, 93, both died following the 'head-on' collision
A tribute to Ms Blampied from her daughter, Sara, said she was 'fighting until the end like the warrior that she is'. She and Mr Dawbarn both died in hospital two days after the crash
Ijere, of Stowmarket, was treated at the same hospital for her injuries and released early in the new year.
The other patient in the private ambulance escaped with minor injuries.
Ms Blampied’s youngest daughter, Sara, said in an emotional social media statement at the time: ‘Sadly our mum/nan, wife to Simon (ginge), Jane Blampied was suddenly taken from us in a serious car collision.
‘She was fighting until the end like the warrior that she is but sadly her internal injuries were too severe and we had to make the decision to turn off her life support just after 10am this morning.
‘Us as a family - Simon, Emma, Laura, myself and our children - are absolutely devastated by the news and all feeling very numb. We are all so grateful for all your kind words that we have already received, it means a lot to us all.
‘I haven't just lost my mum, I have lost my best friend but I will remember all the amazing things we did together, especially over the last few years.
Ijere, of Stowmarket, is due to return to Suffolk Magistrates Court next month to be sentenced
‘Just remember to hug those people closest to you a little bit tighter and remind them you love them because you really don't know if it will be the last time.’
Ms Blampied worked at Newmarket-based law firm Edmonson Hall, who posted a tribute online in which they said they would be raising money for East Anglian Air Ambulance.
‘This will be in memory of our colleague Jane Blampied who died tragically just before Christmas,’ the firm wrote.
‘The East Anglian Air Ambulance played a vital role following her accident and we feel this is a way we can honour her memory with the support of her beloved family.’