A 21-year-old Worcestershire woman has escaped an immediate jail sentence for causing a car crash that cost a pregnant woman her unborn baby and resulted in her suffering life-changing injuries.

Amelia Williams admitted she had been driving too fast and lost control of the Mercedes A140 on a rural bend on the A38 at about 10.20pm on a rainy night between Severn Stoke and Earls Croome, Worcester Crown Court heard.

She crashed head-on into a Renault Clio driven by Emma Yardley, who was 28 weeks pregnant at the time on December 23, 2013, John Brotherton, prosecuting, told the court.

Both cars were sent spinning and Mrs Yardley was trapped for over an hour while emergency services cut her free. She had a series of operations on multiple injuries including fractures to her legs, her pelvis and her arm which have resulted in her spending time in a wheelchair. Williams suffered relatively minor injuries, the court heard.

In a victim impact statement, Mrs Yardley, now aged 27, said the accident has had devastating consequences. She had a four year old daughter from a previous relationship but had several miscarriages with her new husband. On the day of the accident she had been for a 28-week scan and had been told all was well.

"We were so happy. Christmas was two days away," she said in the statement. "I set off from my parents' home in Clifton and it was not long before my world fell apart."

Her unborn baby died and she was in hospital for six weeks before she could go back to her home in Gloucestershire. She was unable to return to work as a night carer for dementia patients and the strain of her injuries caused her relationship to fall apart, the court heard.

Mr Brotherton said Williams, of Penny Hill Farm, Hillside, Martley, accepted she had been driving too fast for the 40mph bend but had not been travelling at over 50 mph. She pleaded guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Jason Aris, defending, said Williams, who was 19 at the time, had not been driving very long and her inexperience might have led to her misjudging the conditions. He said she was extremely remorseful.

"It was an error of judgement on her part which has unfortunately had devastating consequences," he said.

Williams had been working for local government but had been unable to concentrate on her accountancy training after the crash and now worked full time in a department store. A number of references were handed in on her behalf. She had recently completed a 10K mud run to raise money for a child bereavement charity, Mr Aris said.

Judge Richard Rundell said there was no sentence he could pass that would change the circumstances or the "quite catastrophic injuries both physically and emotionally" suffered by Mrs Yardley

He said he had not overlooked the death of the unborn baby and sentencing was "painfully difficult."

He accepted there was a low risk of re-offending and he had decided not to impose an immediate jail term.

Williams was given a twelve-month sentence suspended for 12 months with 250 hours unpaid work. She was also given a four month curfew between 7pm and 7am and banned from driving for two years. She will have to take an extended re-test.