Kayleigh Cornwell, 32, and Jason Morgan, 32, were both struck and killed by a car in Pontypridd, Wales after catching the wrong bus while trying to make their way home
A man and a woman were killed after being hit by a car while lying and kneeling in the middle of a road. Kayleigh Cornwell, 32, and Jason Morgan, 32, had been drinking and had taken the wrong bus home.
They were making their way back to Jason’s flat when they were struck by a Ford Focus in Pontypridd, Wales on January 27, 2023.
Despite the best efforts of emergency services who rushed to the scene on the B4273 Ynysybwl Road, both were pronounced dead. An inquest at Pontypridd Coroners’ Court heard that Kayleigh, originally from Hampshire, had moved to South Wales to start anew after a series of personal challenges.
Her stepmother, Tracey Cornwell, revealed that following difficult family circumstances, Kayleigh’s life “began to unravel” leading her into a depressive state marked by excessive drinking and drug use.
The last communication from Kayleigh was a text message asking for money, according to her family. Tracey Cornwell stated: “We know there was no way Kayleigh would deliberately or intentionally put herself in the path of a car.”
Her GP’s statement revealed that she was battling anxiety, depression, and alcohol misuse, reports Wales Online.
Angela Morgan, mother of Jason, shared that her son was born and raised in Glyncoch, diagnosed with ADHD, and attended a special needs school. He had a troubled teenage period, described as “behaving badly”.
She noted that her son began to “go downhill” in his 20s due to drug dependency and homelessness. However, before his untimely death, Jason had found a place to live, started a relationship, and was making positive changes in his life.
Ms Morgan said: “He was getting his life back and doing good before he was tragically and suddenly taken away from us.”
His GP’s statement confirmed a history of depression and drug misuse.
In a statement read in court, Leon Cole said he met the pair at Pontypridd bus station that night and that Jason seemed drunk but in good spirits. He said Kayleigh told him she had “tried crack”, but he suspected it was more than that.
The three took ketamine and boarded a bus, mistakenly thinking it was headed to Glyncoch. Bus driver Aidan Dobbins described all three as appearing “intoxicated”, with Kayleigh being “rowdy” and barely able to keep her head up.
The trio disembarked at Ynysybwl after realising they had boarded the wrong bus. Fellow passenger Kelsey Hibbert painted a picture of chaos, with Kayleigh in tears over a lost handbag and all three discussing drugs.
Tracey Gomer reported seeing three people on New Road, with a man and woman darting into traffic, which she initially mistook for “youngsters playing chicken”. She recalled: “I shouted: ‘Get off the road – you’re going to cause an accident.'”
Leon said they had planned to walk to Jason’s house in Glyncoch, with him leading the way while the other two zig-zagged across 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.”
Several witnesses reported seeing three people who appeared intoxicated wandering along the road, forcing several drivers to swerve to avoid hitting them.
Kelly Sweeney witnessed a heated exchange and feared the worst, telling her husband over the phone: “One of these is going to end up dead.”
Moments later, she heard a loud bang and ran back. She 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.”
The driver of the Focus, Jonathan Owens, was on his way home after collecting his wife from work, with their two children also in the car. He described the road as “straight” and said there was nothing obstructing his view.
He said: “I just seen something come from left to right from the pavement and by that stage was the impact.”
He was driving at a speed of 40 to 45mph, below the 50mph limit.
Mr Cole, who experienced the collision firsthand, described his ordeal stating: “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.
He added: “I had no recollection of seeing or hearing a car going towards them or knowledge of them being hit.”
The provisional cause of death for Jason was multiple blunt force injuries. He was found to have been under the influence of alcohol and various drugs, being just over twice the legal limit for driving.
Kayleigh’s provisional cause of death was also given as multiple blunt force injuries. She too was under the influence of alcohol and drugs, more than three times over the drink-drive limit.
Coroner Mr Hughes said: “I find both were intoxicated due to the level of ethanol and drugs they had consumed prior to the collision… The significance of such intoxication had a direct bearing on how they both came upon their deaths.”
He added: “…its evidenced effect once they placed themselves in peril on the carriageway they were incapacitated to such an extent they were unable to understand the significance of their dilemma and extricate themselves from the road to avoid oncoming traffic.”
The coroner recorded a conclusion of a road traffic collision contributed to by a combined effect of alcohol and drugs.