Richard Bromley said he would do ‘anything’ to change what happened on the night of the car crash which killed Claudia Williams.
Bromley, 23, from Great Boughton, was at the wheel when his car left School Lane in Guilden Sutton and collided with a tree on June 24, 2013.
His 19-year-old girlfriend, who was in the passenger seat, lost her life.
Bromley was called to give evidence on Monday (May 23) as the trial at Warrington Crown Court entered its third week.
Read a recap of updates from Warrington Crown Court on Monday
The defendant said: “I would’ve done anything to change what had happened.
“I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Claudia and I just wish she was still here now. I would give anything for that.
“She was the most beautiful girl I’ve ever seen.”
Bromley, of Daniell Way, is charged with causing death by careless driving while under the influence of drink or drugs.
He said Miss Williams shoved his arm unexpectedly which caused him to lose control of his Vauxhall Corsa.
The couple had been out for a family meal at The Old Trooper pub in Christleton, but had left after Miss Williams became upset.
They had been heading to her grandparents’ home in Guilden Sutton before she decided she wanted to go back to her mother’s house in Hoole.
This triggered an argument between them as she had already changed her mind a number of times during the night, the court heard.
Bromley said he was ‘more confused than frustrated’ because his girlfriend would not tell him what was wrong.
She was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash.
Bromley said: “Out of the corner of my vision I could see Claudia had turned to face me and had her left shoulder towards the dashboard.
“She just pushed my arm with both hands and it made me jolt immediately towards the left, I just lost control of the car instantly and it hit the curb.
“I had no time to react and it felt like a second before it smashed into the tree.
“It happened so fast I can’t remember what I was looking at. I heard a crunching sound and it just flashed white.
“Next thing I remember I was unclipping my seatbelt and collapsing out of the car onto the road side.”
Bromley said he had drunk three and a half pints of lager at the pub between 6pm and 9pm, the crash happened at about 9.30pm.
He said he was not speeding through the 30mph zone, had his eyes on the road and was not distracted by the argument.
Benjamin Myers, prosecuting, asked the defendant if he thought it was OK to drive after drinking that amount of alcohol.
Bromley said: “All I can say is I felt completely fine to drive that night.
“The reason the accident happened was because of a completely unexpected push. Alcohol had nothing to do with it.”
The 23-year-old tested for 111mg of alcohol in 100ml in a sample taken just after midnight, over the legal limit of 80mg.
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Mr Myers asked Bromley if he would still drink three and a half pints before driving with someone else in the car.
The defendant replied: “I can’t answer that question.”
Mr Myers said: “Really? Do you still drink and drive like that Mr Bromley?” After a pause, Bromley said no.
Bromley denies the charges against him. The trial at Warrington Crown Court continues.
