On 2 January 2020, at approximately 8pm, Carol and her husband and their daughter Becky were travelling back in their car after picking up Becky from Abergavenny. Travelling around a bend on the A4042, they were hit by a car coming towards them, on the wrong side of the road, in a head on collision. The crash caused the death of 19-year-old Becky, as well as severe injury to both Carol and her husband. The driver of the other crash also came away injured and was convicted of death by careless driving in Cardiff Crown Court.
The crash caused physical and emotional trauma on the family. Carol was in hospital for seven weeks recovering from multiple broken and shattered bones; her husband was in hospital for a similar amount of time being treated for a bleed on the brain. Both Carol and her husband have accessed counselling and therapy. Carol was diagnosed with PTSD, and has suffered many bouts of panic and anxiety. Her husband has struggled with his return to work.
Carol feels the therapy, and support she received from Brake’s National Road Victim Service has been crucial.
Becky, 19, was killed in a head-on collision
If we can save one other life and another family having to endure the trauma from a road crash, by campaigning for safer roads then we've helped make a difference.
The impact of Becky’s death simply cannot be put into words. She was a wonderful 19-year-old who had been simply visiting friends after staying at home for the Christmas break away from her study in university. A huge hole has been left in Carol and her family’s life which can never be filled.
As the months turned into years, Carol found huge benefits continually accessing therapy. She now uses art to convey her feelings, finding a safe space with a paint brush and empty canvas in front of her. She wants to do good by Becky, and campaigns to raise awareness of safe roads. Carol has worked with people both in her local town of Abergavenny and in her small community raising money for Brake through community awareness-raising events.
By sharing Becky’s story with Brake, Carol wants to highlight the impact that even the very smallest mistakes, such as being briefly distracted, can have on the lives of other road users. She does not want any other individual or family to go through what she has experienced.