A married couple who suffered life-changing injuries when a drug driver smashed into their motorcycle remain in different hospitals 70 miles apart more that seven weeks after the crash. Richard and Alison Amner were travelling on their motorcycle along Ferry Road in Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire, on the evening of Saturday, July 16, when the collision happened.
Shortly before 7pm, a man named Mathew Jason Bell, who was driving a car in the opposite direction, decided to overtake a van on what was described in court as a “ridiculous” bend and crashed straight into the motorcycle. You can keep up to date with the latest Carmarthenshire news by signing up to the local newsletter here.
Both riders were thrown from the bike. Mr Amner, aged 58, sustained life threatening and life changing injuries, including a triple open fracture of his femur, while his wife, aged 55, was thrown with such force as a result of the crash that she landed on a raised patch of gravel located on the other side of a garden wall. As the couple lay in agony, Bell tried to drive away, with only the poor state of his crashed car stopping him from doing so.
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He also tried to blame Mr Amner, despite being on the wrong side of the road and under the influence of drugs. He even admitted to police that he drank lager from a can in his car between the crash happening and the authorities turning up at the scene.
For the victims, it may be coming up to two months since the collision, but their long roads to recovery are still only really just starting. Mr Amner remains at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, while Mrs Amner remains at Glangwili Hospital in Carmarthen. The couple, who are from the Pontyberem area of Carmarthenshire, have not seen each other in weeks.
“They have had almost 20 blood transfusions between them,” said Kara Amner, the couple’s daughter. “Dad has had over 10 surgeries in a month. He sustained multiple fractures in the crash and is still poorly in hospital. Me and my sister Jody drive up to Cardiff every single day after work to see him just to try to raise his spirits.
"Mam was also in Cardiff initially but has been transferred back to Glangwili Hospital. She has had two operations herself and is progressing well considering the scale of her injuries. They saw each other when they were both in the same hospital but they haven’t seen each other for weeks now, since Mam was moved. It’s a tough time for all of us because we are very close as a family.”
Incredibly, on the night of the crash, Kara said she remembered seeing one of the Wales Air Ambulance helicopters that was sent to the scene. She was in nearby Pembrey at the time and looked up to see the helicopter fly overhead - little did she know that it contained one of her seriously injured parents.
“I was totally oblivious to the fact that the helicopter was for one of my parents,” said Kara. “I only found out a short time later when I had a phone call from my sister. It’s changed everything, and it’s a very stressful time. With regards to the injuries, we don’t really know at this stage as they are life-changing injuries. Even my mum, whose injuries weren’t as serious, still can’t come home from the hospital, and my dad is still bedbound.”
Drug driver Bell, aged 49 and from Ferryside, was sentenced to 30 months imprisonment - only half of which he will serve in prison - and handed an extended driving ban after admitting causing serious injury by dangerous driving, driving whilst unfit through drugs, driving without a licence and driving without insurance. His ban means he is disqualified from driving for a total of five years and three months, after which he will need to apply for a licence and pass an extended driving test. For Kara and her family, they feel the punishment does not fit the crime.
"With regards to sentencing, I think the guidelines need to change,” said Kara. “They don’t make sense. I would not want this to happen to anyone else, any other family, it’s awful. It’s life-changing for everyone.” When concerns about sentencing were put to the Ministry of Justice, a spokeswoman for the government department said that "judges decide sentences following guidelines set by the independent Sentencing Council" and added that a consultation had been launched on a number of new and revised sentencing guidelines for motoring offences, including causing serious injury by dangerous driving. That consultation - which can be found here - is open until September 29.
A fundraising campaign has been set up in an attempt to get Mr and Mrs Amner back together and back home as quickly as possible. While they remain in different hospitals as they continue to recuperate, there is another problem which will likely delay their return home even when they are fit enough to do so.
“The fundraising page was set up by a friend and colleague of mine initially, and it was intended to help cover bills, but then we realised - hang on, they can’t come home," said Kara. "Both had been working really hard to renovate their house, but unfortunately it’s not completed because they were in the middle of it when the crash happened, and the house is not ready for them to come home in their condition. So any money we raise now will go towards getting enough people together who are able to finish off the work in the house so that they can come home.
“We really want to thank Heini Williams who set up the fundraising page, and the whole of the wider community who have been so helpful. An eight-mile fundraising walk has already taken place around Kidwelly, which was arranged by a local walking and hiking group called Happy Feet, and I want to thank Tina Evans for organising that and everyone who took part. We know how tough things are and have been for everyone in recent times, so every donation is greatly appreciated, and from the bottom of our hearts we as a family want to thank everyone who has shown kindness and generosity - it means so much to us all."
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