A YOUNG woman who was the victim of a terrifying high speed hit and run while in labour on the way to hospital has called for witnesses to help catch the driver.

Laura Vahabzadeh was being driven to Lister Hospital by her husband on Thursday December 9 when their car was rammed by a reckless 4x4 driver between junctions seven and eight of the A1M.

The impact sent their Toyota Yaris smashing into the central reservation before spinning across three lanes.

One of Mrs Vahabzadeh ribs was fractured in the crash, which wrote off the couple’s car.

The 28-year-old from Hertford, whose baby was thankfully unhurt in the accident, described the horrifying moments she thought might be their last.

“We were driving in the fast lane. A car had been undertaking us - it ran out of room in front and ploughed into the passenger side of me. It span us 360. We hit the central reservation and ended up on the hard shoulder. Thankfully we didn’t hit anyone else.

“If he had hit us a metre before – I don’t want to think about it. It was not just my life that could have been taken. I grabbed my stomach and said ‘Oh my baby!’ I managed to push the door open. I was standing there saying ‘My ribs hurt! My ribs hurt!’”

“Two really nice men, one white van man and a lorry driver helped me. The white van man put me inside and the lorry driver covered me with one of those silver blankets. They phoned the police and ambulance.”

Mrs Vahabzadeh was taken by ambulance with her husband to Lister, where she endured an 11 hour birth with a fractured rib. She gave birth the following day to her first child, an “absolutely perfect” daughter, Lily.

The previous day had been Mrs Vahabzadeh’s birthday.

She added: “Accidents do happen and if he had stopped that is one thing, but to actually run off, it’s cowardly. I’ve got a beautiful baby, but it could have been very different.”

The 4x4 hit the couple at around 3.15pm. It is described as a black Range Rover-type ’04 registered vehicle with chrome bull bars around the boot. It was driven by a man.

If you saw the vehicle either before, during or after the crash, or you suspect you know the driver, contact investigating officer Pc Jay Day on 0845 3300222.