Woman 'heard a thud' during phone call as friend was fatally hit by car

Wales Online

05-08-2025

Woman 'heard a thud' during phone call as friend was fatally hit by car
Tetiana Martynova died after a crash in the Morriston area of Swansea leaving her loved ones 'heartbroken'
Tetiana Martynova from Kharkiv, Ukraine
(Image: South Wales Police)
A woman living in Wales who fled Ukraine when Russia invaded her home country in 2022 died after being involved in a collision with a car.
An inquest held into the death of Tetiana Martynova at Swansea's Guildhall on Tuesday heard how the 40-year-old, from Kharkiv, died after a collision on A4067 Neath Road, in the Morriston area of Swansea, on Wednesday, January 31, 2024.
The inquest was told how on the day of the incident Ms Martynova had finished work at Runtech, based in the Llansamlet area of Swansea, and she was walking home while talking to a friend on the phone.
She crossed the A4067 just prior to Morriston roundabout when she was struck by a white Chevrolet Captiva vehicle being driven by Tata steel worker Jamie Hitchings. He was travelling on the southbound carriageway, adjacent to the off-slip to the A48, at 6.19pm.
The friend she was on the phone with "heard a thud" and assumed Ms Martynova had dropped her phone and had stayed on the line as she tried calling out her name.
Ms Martynova was "thrown some distance" toward the opposite carriageway, the inquest heard, and members of the public came to her aid before she was transferred to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where she died on February 1.
Mr Hitchings was himself returning home after working a 6am to 6pm shift at the steelworks, the inquest heard. He had not seen Ms Martynova, who it was heard was dressed in all black and crossing in an uncommon part of the road, until immediately before the collision.
He had slammed on his brakes and stopped his car and got out to come to her aid. Mr Hitchings saw some cones recently used for works and coned off the road in an attempt to help Ms Martynova whom he tried to get a response from after the collision.
South Wales Police reviewed the circumstances of the incident and found there was no further action to be taken in relation to the incident.
Another witness, Mark Thomas, was travelling from Birchgrove toward McDonald's in Morriston and noticed three cars stopped in the outside lane.
He recalled how he could see someone out of their car and the brake lights on.
He said he noticed a person's body half on the central reservation and half on the other side of the road. He called 999 to report the incident.
The inquest heard how the road was quite dark and extremely wet with only one working street light.
The principal lighting manager for Swansea Council, Jonathan Hurley, confirmed to police during their investigation that lighting was switched off at the time of the collision.
It came after national energy reduction measures were considered in 2012 and involved the switching off of street lights after a risk assessment. They had remained off at the time of the accident.
Giving evidence forensic collision investigator for South Wales Police, PC Karl Painter, said it was found the surface along the 50mph road was wet with visibility restricted due to the amount of rain falling, the darkness of the location, and the topography of the road itself. He said on arrival at the scene only one street light was illuminated.
A colleague and friend, Michelle Howells, worked with Ms Martynova in an accounts role and said she had seemed happy on the day, sharing her plans of moving back home to Ukraine in time as her role allowed her to work remotely.
Dr David and Catherine Lloyd had hosted Ms Martynova when she and her son came to the UK. They described how she and her son had moved to Wales as part of the Homes for Ukraine scheme after experiencing four nights and four days of bombing in Ukraine.
She was described as having a "warm and engaging personality" and being highly regarded by her employers RunTech who had promised her future employment online when she returned to her home country.
They said in a statement that she was "very conscious of road safety and competent at crossing roads, knowing which way to look, and had perfect eyesight". They last saw her on January 27 when she treated them to brunch at The Observatory after receiving her first elevated pay check. They said she talked enthusiastically about the future.
They describe how they saw her as their own daughter and they were "heartbroken" she was no longer with them.
Ms Martynova's medical cause of death was given as catastrophic brain injury due to a road traffic accident where she had been a pedestrian.
Assistant coroner Paul Bennett returned a conclusion of road traffic collision, noting that Ms Martynova had been dressed in black clothing in an area which was not lit with streetlighting and had been crossing at an area that was not common for people to cross.
After Ms Martynova's passing her hosts shared the following tribute: 'Tetiana (known locally as Tania) had fled her native city, Kharkiv, in Ukraine due to the ongoing war, along with her 13-year-old son, and arrived in Swansea in July 2022.
'Tania was an impressive woman, multilingual, intelligent, high-flying, hard-working, committed and diligent in her tender care of Illia.
"She was driven to scholastic achievement here in Swansea, building on her Ukrainian excellence in accountancy with further qualifications and working so hard for a local Swansea company utilising her impressive range of skills.
'She was a stalwart of the Ukrainian community in Swansea, playing her full part in all their social and cultural activities, marking the continued defiance of her nation.
"Her warm and pleasant personality permeated every gathering.
'Lives here in Wales were hugely enriched by knowing Tania.
"Her numerous friends and work colleagues are all devastated by her sudden passing.
'Our thoughts and prayers are with Illia here in Wales and Tania's family back in Ukraine. Tania's dream of returning to Ukraine will sadly now not be realised.
'We are all grateful to the emergency services at the scene of this terrible accident for their diligence and care and also for the supreme professionalism of the medical and nursing care on the critical care unit at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. Huge thanks to all.
"We are devastated. Our hearts are broken. Tania became like a daughter to us both. Our tears flow for a remarkable young woman. Ukraine has lost one of its finest.'
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