A speeding drink driver, Karla Dodds, has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after causing the death of 22-year-old Truman Hub in a horrific car crash in North Shields. The devastating incident occurred on November 20, 2022, leaving Truman’s grieving family to face a lifetime of loss.
Tragic Accident
Dodds, 25, was driving a small Hyundai i10 with seven people crammed into the vehicle, while well over the drink-drive limit and speeding. Truman, who had autism and ADHD, was hanging out of the window to feel the wind in his hair when the accident happened. As he lay fatally injured, his girlfriend attempted CPR while Dodds fled the scene with a friend.
The court heard that Dodds has since been convicted of drug driving, having been stopped in November 2024 and found to be twice over the limit for cannabis. Additionally, before the incident with Truman, she had been a passenger in another fatal collision.
Heartbroken Mother’s Statement
In an emotional victim impact statement, Truman’s mother, Rozalind Hub, described her son as “full of sunshine, laughter, mischief and love.” She said the devastating loss had left her with overwhelming grief and emotions.
Rozalind stated, “Sunday November 20th 2022 was the day that, because of the defendant’s actions, Truman was taken from us, from his family. This was the start of the most horrific journey of my life.”
She recounted how she replayed the tragic night over and over in her mind, desperately trying to imagine a way her son could have been saved. “Now I feel my life has no meaning. I am here in body but my heart is dead like Truman and I just try to get through each day.”
The grieving mother added that her anxiety had been severe, with feelings of suicide and relentless crying since the accident. She described her life as a constant, unbearable sadness, forever missing the little things about her beloved son.
Anger Towards Dodds
Rozalind did not mince her words when describing Dodds’ behaviour, calling her “wicked and cowardly” for running away from the crash scene. She said: “Her responsibility should have been to check everyone was ok immediately after the crash and not flee the scene that she had devastatingly caused by her own self-indulgent alcohol consumption and carelessness.”
Rozalind added: “We can never forgive her for so cruelly cutting our son’s life so short.”
Life Sentence for the Family
As she concluded her powerful statement, Rozalind said: “We get a life sentence, there is a huge hole in our life that can never be filled. Truman was a one-off, a special person, a son, and a brother.”
The judge handed Dodds a 12-year sentence for causing death by dangerous driving, a conviction that will hopefully bring some measure of justice to the grieving family.
