A man and woman were killed after being struck by a car while they were heavily intoxicated lying and kneeling in the middle of a road.
Both were found to be heavily intoxicated at the time of their death and were walking back to the man’s flat after getting on the wrong bus, reports Wales Online. Kayleigh Cornwell, 32, and Jason Morgan, 32, were both struck and killed by a Ford Focus driven by Jonathan Owens in Pontypridd on January 27, 2023.
An ambulance was called to the scene of the collision on the B4273 Ynysybwl Road but despite the best efforts of the emergency services both were pronounced dead at the scene.
An inquest at Pontypridd Coroners’ Court on Friday heard Ms Cornwell was born in Hampshire and lived with her stepmother, father, and three siblings following the separation of her parents. At 14 years old she moved out to live with a man and following the end of the relationship she moved to supported accommodation. She went on to have five children and relocated to south Wales to “begin afresh”.
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Tracey Cornwell, Ms Cornwell’s stepmother, said her stepdaughter experienced difficult family circumstances which devastated her. Tracey Cornwell said it was at this time Ms Cornwell’s life “began to unravel” and she “began making poor decisions”. She was said to have “spiralled into a depressive state” and was drinking alcohol excessively and taking drugs.
In a statement read to the court Mr Cole said he met Ms Cornwell and Mr Morgan at Pontypridd bus station on January 27, 2023. He said Ms Cornwell had told him she had “tried crack” but thought it was “more than that”. All three took ketamine and got on a bus, which they wrongly believed was going to Glyncoch. Bus driver Aidan Dobbins said all three of them appeared “intoxicated” and described Ms Cornwell as “rowdy” and “barely able to keep her head up”.
Mr Morgan, Ms Cornwell, and Mr Cole got off at Ynysybwl having realised they were on the wrong bus. Bus passenger Kelsey Hibbert described the scene as “chaotic” with Ms Cornwell crying about a lost handbag and all three were talking about drugs. Tracey Gomer said she saw three people walking along New Road with a man and woman running back and forth into the road and thought they were “youngsters playing chicken”. She said: “I shouted: ‘Get off the road – you’re going to cause an accident'”. She said a man and woman were running into the road and banging on the side of the bus, which Ms Gomer described as “ridiculous”.
Mr Cole said the plan was to walk to Mr Morgan’s home in Glyncoch and he walked ahead of him and Ms Cornwell who were walking back and forth into the middle of the road. He said: “Jason would move into the road and Kayleigh would follow him – they were zig-zagging in and out… I said to Kayleigh: ‘You need to sort yourself out’ but they ignored me. I told them to get out of the road but they blanked me. I only told them once because they’re adults.”
Kelly Sweeney walked past the group and saw a man in the middle of the road. She described there being an “argument” and called her husband, saying: “One of these is going to end up dead.” She heard a loud bang and was told by her husband to walk back to see if she could help. Ms Sweeney said: “As I walked to the vehicle, it was a Ford Focus, and a woman was on the floor under the car with her head out in front. I think she was dead. I saw a male lying in the road with his head up and legs bent up. I stayed with him and wrapped a towel around his head. He was breathing and making noises.”
Focus driver Mr Owens said he was driving back home having picked his wife up from work and his two children were in the car. He described the road as “straight”. When asked if he could see anything the witness said: “Nothing. My lane was clear – there were no silhouettes or anybody obstructing my view.” Mr Owens added: “I just seen something come from left to right from the pavement and by that stage was the impact.” He said he was travelling between 40 and 45mph with the speed limit being 50mph. Describing the impact he said: “I applied the brakes but the time I applied the brakes the impact had happened and I shouted out a swear word.”
Jason Bales witnessed the collision, he said the man lying in the road was struck towards him as the third man was hit into the bushes.
Describing being hit Mr Cole said: “Something hit me and I blanked out – I couldn’t tell you what but someone said it was the bumper of a car. I was walking down the road and woke up in the bushes with no trainers on. My body was stiff and an Irish woman helped me. I wanted to get up and see my friends but she wouldn’t let me. I knew something had happened… I had no recollection of seeing or hearing a car going towards them or knowledge of them being hit.”
A provisional cause of death for Mr Morgan was given as multiple blunt force injuries to the head, including a fractured skull, and to the trunk and legs. At the time of his death he was under the influence of alcohol, codeine, cocaine, amphetamine, ketamine, pregabalin, and paracetamol. He was just over twice the drink-drive limit.
A provisional cause of death for Ms Cornwell was given as multiple blunt force injuries including cardiac lacerations and injuries to the aorta. Her injuries indicated her body had been dragged on the road while trapped under the car. At the time of her death she was under the influence of alcohol, cocaine, ketamine, and pregabalin. She was more than three times the drink-drive limit.
Forensic collision investigator PC James Littlewood said he came to the conclusion that Ms Cornwell was lying down at the time of the collision and Mr Morgan was low to the ground or kneeling, Mr Owens was likely travelling at around 45mph at the point of impact and Ms Cornwell was wearing a camouflaged jacket and jeans, while Mr Morgan was wearing a black jacket and a white hat.
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