AN EPILEPTIC student had a fit behind the wheel and ploughed into a busy city centre after doctors told her not to drive.
Sunainah Amber, 23, lost control of her car in Piccadilly Circus, London, in November 2024 and knocked a man into The Horses of Helios fountain.
Sunainah Amber has been jailed for two years and eight months at Southwark Crown Court Credit: PA
Amber knocked a pedestrian into the Horses of Helios fountain in Piccadilly Circus Credit: Getty
He was raced to hospital with Amber’s passenger Aysha Cheema and both were treated for serious injuries.
Four months before the crash, the trainee accountant, was diagnosed with after a fit at home and was ordered to not drive.
But she still took her mother’s car through busy Piccadilly Circus just before 7pm on November 12 with her friend in the passenger seat.
The court heard how at at a set of traffic lights Ms Cheema was heard shouting out the window for help and tried to open the car door moments before the crash.
But the car accelerated forward, mounted the pavement and hit Marlon Villerreal, causing him to fall into the iconic water fountain.
He suffered a bleed on the brain alongside cuts and bruises.
The Yaris finally smashed into a lamppost outside the packed Angus Steakhouse restaurant.
Ms Cheema, who met Amber while they studied aerospace engineering at St Mary’s University, was left with a fractured leg after the crash.
She told Southwark Crown Court how she had experienced months of pain following the incident and was “left in a constant state of fear and psychological distress”.
The judge said that due to her epileptic fit, Amber “may not have fully appreciated the very realistic fear of her passenger”.
Amber, who was on an accountancy graduate scheme prior to sentencing, blamed “immaturity” for her decision to drive the car and the court heard how she had written a letter of apology to her friend.
The defence barrister asking for Amber to be spared jail time but the judge maintained: “It was clearly a deliberate choice to disregard the information given to her by her doctor.
“You are fortunate you did not kill people that day, it’s as simple as that”, he added.
“You are lucky it wasn’t far worse.”
On July 7, 2024, Amber suffered an epileptic fit at home and was woken by her sister after she heard her crying, shaking and shouting “no, no, no”.
After her diagnosis, a doctor’s letter set out that she could not get behind the wheel for a year and must inform the of her medical condition.
Amber, from Islington, pleaded guilty to two counts of causing serious injury by dangerous .
She was sentenced to two years and eight months in by Judge Alexander Milne KC.
Amber will be eligible for parole after she has served just a over a year in prison.
She will also face a driving ban for the next three years and four months.
What to do if someone if someone is having a seizure
If you see someone having a seizure or fit:
- Only move them if they’re in danger, such as near a busy road or hot cooker
- Cushion their head if they’re on the ground
- Loosen any tight clothing around their neck, such as a collar or tie, to aid breathing
- Turn them on to their side after their convulsions stop
- Stay with them and talk to them calmly until they recover
- Note the time the seizure starts and finishes
If the person is in a wheelchair, put the brakes on and leave any seatbelt or harness on. Support them gently and cushion their head, but do not try to move them.
Do not put anything in their mouth, including your fingers. They should not have any food or drink until they have fully recovered.
Call 999 and ask for an ambulance if:
- It’s the first time someone has had a seizure
- The seizure lasts longer than is usual for them
- The seizure lasts more than 5 minutes, if you do not know how long their seizures usually last
- The person does not regain full consciousness, or has several seizures without regaining consciousness
- The person is seriously injured during the seizure
- The person has difficulty breathing after the seizure
Source: NHS
Shoppers near busy Piccadilly Circus tube station where the car crashed Credit: Alamy
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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