Mum of schoolgirl killed by driver at zebra crossing says family are 'broken'

Wales Online

2 days ago

Mum of schoolgirl killed by driver at zebra crossing says family are 'broken'
Keely Morgan, 15, was hit and killed by a car driven by Christopher West, 42, as she made her way across a pedestrian crossing
Keely Morgan was just 15 when she died
(Image: PA )
A 15-year-old schoolgirl was killed after being hit by a car at a pedestrian crossing shortly after undergoing a kidney transplant to save her life. Addressing the driver in court the girl's mother said: "I am broken, my family is broken – you have broken us all."
Keely Morgan was struck down as she crossed the road in Cardiff. She was hit by a Vauxhall Astra driven by Christopher West, 42, who failed to see the teenager. Shortly before the collision he was described by his daughter as "showing off" and had removed a "black box" from the vehicle.
A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday heard West had driven from Barry Island to Ely on May 1, 2023, with three passengers in his car including his two daughters and their friend. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter.
As he approached Heol Trelai in Caerau Keely was making her way across a zebra crossing wearing earphones connected to her iPad.
The defendant had been described as driving a "little fast" and had been "snaking" the car. Before their journey he had turned to his daughters and said: "Shall I remove the black box?" before doing so.
Nearby residents heard a loud bang and became aware a collision had taken place.
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A man in the car behind West got out of his car to help Keely as the defendant was emotional and could be heard saying: "I have just hit her – I am so sorry" and "I didn't see her. It was too dark. She came out of nowhere. I hit her."
Keely was lying on the side of the road and had suffered significant injuries to her head and face.
The emergency services were called and it was clear the teenager had stopped breathing so members of the public began CPR.
Medical staff arrived and noted that Keely's left upper body was deformed and her shoe was on a grass verge.
Despite the best efforts of those at the scene Keely succumbed to her injuries and was pronounced dead at 10.02pm.
West was spoken to by police and was tested for drugs and alcohol but his results were negative. There was extensive damage to his car, specifically the front offside and the windscreen.
The defendant was arrested and in his interview he said he did not see Keely until the point of collision and said his vision had been blocked by a road sign.
West, of Nottage Road, Ely, later pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving. The court heard he has a small number of convictions for unrelated offences.
In a series of emotionally-charged statements read to the court Keely's family set out the immense impact the teenager's death has had upon their lives.
Keely's mother Sian Morgan said: "On May 1, 2023, my world fell apart. My daughter Keely was only 15 years old when she was struck and killed by a car at a pedestrian crossing, a place she should have been safe, just making her way home. This tragedy has shattered my family beyond repair and is a loss we will carry for the rest of our lives.
"Keely spent much of her young life fighting kidney failure, undergoing painful treatments and spending a lot of time in hospital. At 13 she was given a second chance of life and was given a kidney transplant.
"She fought so hard to have the opportunity to live a normal life and have the joys of being a teenager. She remained brave, courageous, and positive. But those dreams have been cruelly taken from her in an instant. She'll never be able to finish school, go to university, follow her dreams, experience the joys and the milestones of life.
"She had so much love to give. She was truly an incredible person with promise and a future ahead of her. No words can ever describe the insufferable pain of losing a child. As her mother I am broken in ways I cannot truly express. Every day I wake up and relive a nightmare. Her loss ripples through every part of our lives. My heart aches every day for my daughter who I can no longer hug or see the incredible person she could have been. I sit in an empty room of things she will never use or listen to her voice which I will never hear. Family life is incomplete, birthdays and Christmas are constant reminders of what has been taken from us, reminders of what has been stolen...
"The world is a darker place without her. The trauma of losing her in a sudden, violent, but preventable way haunts us. I am struggling with sleepless nights with a sense of despair and injustice. This was totally avoidable. That one decision, that one moment, took everything from us. A pedestrian crossing is meant to protect people like Keely who was using the crossing appropriately as she had a right to do so but she was struck and killed. Her life was taken by the drastic failure of you and you alone. You had a duty to uphold fundamental safety laws of being safe while driving and you chose not to do so. Therefore I stand here today and ask the court to recognise the depth of our loss and devastation it has caused. It's about a life lost, a future taken, and a family crushed.
"She was an irreplaceable part of my life and her family loved her more than words can say. Her life mattered. Her death must mean something. No sentence will ever bring her back."
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Breaking down in tears during her statement Keely's grandmother Maria Wilson said: "Keely was my first-born grandchild. I was there when she entered the world – a tiny baby who fought from the very beginning and showed strength. Keely suffered kidney failure, had months of dialysis and during the Covid pandemic she received a kidney transplant. Despite everything Keely never complained – she accepted the hand she was dealt with a wink and a smile. She was incredibly bright, always up, but no matter what was going on she never failed to make me smile.
"When the police called from Sian's phone as soon as I heard someone else's voice I knew something was wrong. When I found out Keely had been killed I felt like my heart had been ripped out. It's a feeling I will never forget....
"I struggle to sleep and dates such as birthdays, Christmas, and the day she died are extremely hard. Her GCSEs, her prom – we know how excited she would have been to put on a dress and dance the night away but now we only have thoughts of what might have been.
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"I watched my family suffer the hardest thing we've ever had to. It's not something any family should go through – it could and should have been avoided if some care was taken that day. Our family has a massive hole in it that will never be filled. Keely was a part of all of us. Her absence is something we carry every day."
Keely's grandfather Ian Wilson said: "Keely was just 15 years old when she was killed by a careless driver. Keely was always smiling. Loving and musical, she had so much ahead of her. She had undergone a kidney transplant and she had started to look forward to the future. She was prepared for her GCSEs and what her life might have become. She was considered high-risk during Covid and was still unable to mix with friends and she had only just started to do that again.
"She always greeted me with a hug and a kiss – she had a way of brightening up my day. Every time I saw her energy filled the room but now that light has gone. Keely's loss has caused so much distress to me and our entire family. Life without her has been a struggle. That date should mean nothing but it is now forever marked by tragedy. I have been diagnosed with depression from delayed grief. Keely was part of a large and close family – 35 family members who saw her regularly are now dealing with her loss. Her siblings are especially affected. This was not just a tragic accident – it was cruel and preventable to end a whole life of promise and our lives have now changed forever."
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A statement was also read out on behalf of Keely's 13-year-old brother. He said: "Ever since my big sister was killed life has completely changed. I still cannot understand how something so awful could happen so suddenly. She just went out and was meant to come back but her life was taken from us. Keely wasn't just my sister – she was my best friend. We did everything together. She was full of hope even though she had kidney failure and had to go through so much. She never gave up and stayed strong and positive the whole way through. She finally had a transplant and started to get her life back and once she was free of all that this happened.
"She had so many plans for her life. She worked hard revising for exams but she never had the chance to take them or to do the things she had been waiting so long to enjoy. The loss of Keely has brought me unimaginable and indescribable pain and I have struggled every day... I miss her every single day and the family is not the same without her. We'll always love you Keely and you'll always be with us now and forever."
In mitigation for his client, Kevin Seal said West was a father himself and had shown genuine remorse for causing Keely's death and said he would have to live with what he's done for the rest of his life.
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Judge Paul Hobson adjourned sentencing until Thursday, July 17, at 10am at Cardiff Crown Court.