“HER memory has given me the strength to go on”.

Those were the words of Esther Walter’s heartbroken mum Yvonne after her inquest marked the final chapter in the agonising wait to find out exactly what happened on the night the 17-year-old died.

Her parents Yvonne and Tim are coming to terms with being told it was “likely” their daughter would not have been killed if her friend Richard Hadler had not been speeding as he drove her home from work in Fordingbridge.

But in an exclusive interview with the Daily Echo her parents revealed their determination to cherish the memories of their “blossoming and beautiful” daughter and banish any bitterness.

They revealed Esther should not have been working on that fateful night but had chosen to work an extra shift.

Her parents also said their beloved daughter had been buried in her favourite prom dress – which she would have worn three weeks later.

“I truly believe Esther has given me the strength to carry on,” said Yvonne from her home in Sandleheath, near Fordingbridge “We’ve got to rise above it now and that’s what I teach my son Jack – we’ve got no choice.”

Yvonne, 44, said she still remembers the knock on the door from the police telling her there had been a crash on the B3087 at Godshill.

“I remember sitting up right away,” she said.

“I went upstairs to see where she was.

“I was terrified and it still haunts me.

“I remember thinking ‘wait until I see Esther.

“I just wanted to see her.”

Esther was pronounced dead at hospital the next day.

Yvonne added: “She put the sunshine into our lives from the day she was born and never stopped smiling and was so looking forward to turning 18.

“She had so many plans for things to do and couldn’t wait for the experiences she would have as an adult.

“Esther cherished her childhood with her brother Jack and was blossoming into a beautiful young woman on the cusp of adulthood wanting to embrace everything that would come with that.

“We are so proud of her, she was so beautiful and deeply loved.”

Tragedy driver got 12-month suspended sentence

At the Southampton inquest coroner Keith Wiseman said he could not give a verdict of unlawful killing as Richard Hadler was not convicted of death by dangerous driving, but had admitted death by careless driving.

Less than two weeks ago the 19-year-old, of Whitsbury Road, Fordingbridge, was given a 12-month prison sentence suspended for two years, ordered to carry out 200 hours’ unpaid work and given a supervision order as well as a five-year driving ban.

Mr Wiseman recorded a narrative verdict at the inquest saying Esther died because the car she was travelling in overturned when the driver lost control “due to excessive speed and inattention to the road”.