Parents of Teen Killed in Accident Reveal Her Haunting Last Two Words

The parents of a “beautiful, intelligent and caring” teenager killed when a drunk driver lost control of her car have revealed her last words.

Jack Burkhill, 21, was driving Felicity Pacey and her sister Rhiannah when he crashed his Hyundai I30 at 100mph in Denton, Lincolnshire, in June last year. Trainee financial advisor Felicity, 17, was killed in the tragedy. At Lincoln Crown Court on Friday, Burkhill was sentenced to eight years and three months in prison by Judge Simon Hirst, who also banned him from driving for more than nine years.

Felicity's parents were the first to arrive on the scene after her sister called them after the accident and began CPR before paramedics arrived. Felicity's mother said: “Felicity, Fliss, our beautiful, intelligent, confident, caring and caring daughter who has had a full life.

“My heart was ripped out of my chest, swabbed and put back in place. I suffer from panic attacks when I think Felicity isn't coming home. We were the first on the scene and had to start CPR on our child. No parent I should ever have to do that. Seeing my little girl lying on that edge, that lifeless body, I replay it every time I pass that scene.

“The last words I said to her were 'have fun' and she said 'we will'. These words will haunt me for eternity. You killed our precious daughter. You fled the scene like the coward that you are and left us to deal with the consequences.

“The pain you have caused is impossible to express in words. I never thought it would be possible to shed tears every day. Simple tasks like shopping are intimidating. When I go alone, I scream in the car and my tears are uncontrollable.”

Burkhill admitted causing Felicity's death by dangerous driving at a hearing on April 25. Prosecutor David Webster said Burkhill was “intoxicated to such an extent that it impaired his ability to drive safely”. He said the defendant was “showing off” and had only owned the car for two weeks when the accident happened.

Burkhill had been drinking in a pub during the day before driving with Felicity, her sister and another person. He traveled less than two miles before losing control on the outskirts of the village of Denton. Witness accounts suggest he was traveling at speeds in excess of 100 mph while traveling on a country road.

He drove too fast on a bumpy bridge and lost control of his vehicle approaching a right turn. The court heard how Burkhill was eager to show off his high-performance vehicle which he had only owned for a few weeks.

Felicity's sister Rhiannah, who was Burkhill's girlfriend at the time, said: “It left a gaping hole in my heart. I wake up every day hoping it was just a nightmare . It took me weeks and weeks to sleep in my own bed. The emptiness without her by my side is suffocating. If only I had never met you.

Jonathan Pacey, Felicity's father, said: “Felicity was our little girl, the glue that held our family together. When she was little, I called her my teddy bear.

“Everywhere we went, we put on music and sang together in the car. At work, I struggle when I'm alone and at night when I'm trying to sleep. I shouldn't have to survive my little girl, it's not fair. Jack left us broken. I entrusted our daughters to him.

Felicity was thrown from the vehicle and caused injuries so severe that she was unable to survive. Burkhill had passed his driving test about 21 months before the collision, but had owned the car for less than three weeks.

Fliss' father, Jonathan, performed CPR on his daughter when she arrived at the scene, which he described as “the worst thing” he ever had to do. Judge Hirst said: “It is very clear that Fliss was an incredibly loved young woman who had the brightest of futures ahead of her.”