A mother-of-two who was nicknamed 'The Queen of Poker' was killed in a car crash while competing in her first World Series tournament.
Emma Fryer, 42, from Alsager, Cheshire was being driven back to her hotel in the Czech Republic in foggy conditions when a Sat Nav inside the car failed to detect a roundabout and the vehicle ploughed into a lamppost.
Driver David Nelson only realised there was a roundabout up ahead when he spotted a roadside sign, but as he tried to slow down, his car spun 180 degrees and crashed.
Mrs Fryer suffered a brain injury, rib fractures and damage to several organs in the accident that took place on November 17, 2017.
The mother-of-two, who had left a job at Bet365 to become a professional poker player, had been told only a few weeks before her death that her daughter was pregnant and that she was going to become a grandmother for the first time.
Emma Fryer, 42, was nicknamed 'The Queen of Poker' and was killed in a car crash while competing in her first World Series tournament
She had only recently become a professional poker player and had competed in tournaments in Nottingham and Sheffield before securing a backer who funded her and allowed her to play professionally.
Her family say that she was a 'really good player' and had even won £47,000 shortly before her death.
Driver Mr Nelson was subsequently convicted of a negligence offence by Czech authorities, similar to causing death by careless driving.
His sentence is not known.
Mrs Fryer, a former casino VIP account manager, was taking part in the World Series of Poker Europe Tournament in the Czech village of Rozvadov in the Plzen Region of the country.
She was said to be 'riding a rich vein of form' ahead of her first World Series of Poker event and had listed her profession as 'poker player' on October 6, 2017 - just a month before the tragedy.
In a statement Mr Nelson said: 'On November 5, I was driving from the casino in Rozvadov to our hotel with Emma. We put the details in the SatNav on my phone and we set off.
The mother-of-two had only recently become a professional poker player and had competed in tournaments in Nottingham and Sheffield
Mrs Fryer, pictured with her husband Gary, had two daughters and was told just weeks before her death that she was going to become a grandmother
'The fog was very bad and we could only see about 25 metres in front of us. Around 40 minutes into the journey we got onto a motorway.
'While driving, I saw a sign for a roundabout, but there was no warning from my SatNav, so I hit the brakes. The car skidded around about 180 degrees and we hit a lamppost.
'The front windscreen was cracked and Emma was leaning on her airbag complaining that her nose was bleeding. A man passing by helped us out of the car and he spoke a little bit of English.
'The passer-by sat in the driver's seat asking Emma
