A woman who got behind the wheel while “euphoric” on nitrous oxide killed her passenger in a 103 mph (165 kph) accident.
Nasrin Saleh’s Volkswagen Golf GTI collided with a brick wall near a roundabout before tipping over and catching fire.
Saleh, 26, of Prescot, has been sentenced for four and a half years.
A judge at Prescot Court lauded a taxi driver who rescued Selah but was unable to save her passenger, Luqman Mehboob, 28.
Selah, of Colville Street, admitted to causing death through unsafe driving.
At the site of the incident on East Prescot Road in Knotty Ash, the single mother of a six-year-old kid admitted that she and her passenger had been “doing balloons” and taking turns driving despite neither having insurance.
A mutual acquaintance who was in the car earlier stated that Saleh was “having loads” of canisters – approximately two to three crates, each containing 15 canisters.
Judge David Aubrey KC told her, “The court has no doubt that you, the driver, and Mr Mehboob, the front seat passenger, were in a state of euphoria after taking nitrous oxide.”
“It was the thrill of driving a powerful vehicle you were unfamiliar with at dangerously high speeds.
“It was inevitable that driving at those speeds, even with braking, that the car would collide with the wall of the roundabout.”
The judge said nitrous oxide can cause confusion, disorientation, loss of co-ordination and even hallucinations
In an impact statement from the victim’s mother, Fahmida Kauser, spoke of losing her only child who had his whole life in front of him.
Judge Aubrey said the university graduate was “a special person to so many and a good friend to others”.
He said his life came to”an abrupt end in the early hours of that Sunday morning while members of his closely knit family were anxiously making phone calls seeking to ascertain his whereabouts”.
The prosecutor, Arthur Gibson, said CCTV evidence from a residence near the roundabout showed the car travelling at 103mph in a 40mph zone at around 04:45 BST.
The automobile collided with the roundabout wall, launching its front end into the air, rolling onto its side and roof, and exploding into flames ten seconds later near Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.
Taxi driver Russell Cooper ran to the car with a fire extinguisher and pulled Selah out.
He carried her to some nearby grass and she told him, “we swapped, we were doing balloons, me baby, me friend, is he still in there?”
Mr Cooper returned to the blazing car and managed to hold Mr Mehboob’s arm but he was unresponsive and the intensity of the fire and the black smoke forced him back.
Fusad Arshad, mitigating, stated that Saleh understood that her acts caused Mr Mehboob’s death and that she “will carry a heavy burden of guilt for the rest of her life.”
Judge Aubrey applauded taxi driver Mr Cooper for his bravery in saving one life and attempting to save another with no regard for his own safety, and presented him with a £250 High Sheriff’s award.
Saleh has also been prohibited from driving for six years and three months.
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