
Horrifying moment father-of-two is killed when 'impatient' driver ploughs into the side of his car - as his heartbreaking last words are revealed
This is the harrowing moment a careless driver ploughed into the side of a car driven by a father-of-two on his way to work.
Gareth Davies, 43, was killed in the crash in Merthyr Tydfil when Dale Groves, 30, attempted an overtaking manoeuvre at a junction.
Mr Groves' white Ford Ka collided into the side of Mr Davies' black Renault Clio near the Biffa Waste Management in Trecatti on April 13, 2023.
The 43-year-old's partner, Sharon Griffiths, rushed to the scene moments later where he told her 'I can't babe, I'm sorry', as she tried to comfort him at the scene.
She was later joined by their sons at the side of the road as they were told 'the worst news imaginable' - that her partner and the father of her children had been killed.
Sharon told Cardiff Crown Court how she and her sons 'collapsed into each other in shock' after they rushed to the scene of the accident, where he lay dying.
In the short time leading up to the crash, a convoy of three vehicles formed travelling along the road comprising a large oil tank lorry at the front followed by Mr Davies' Renault in the middle and Groves' Ford at the back.
The oil tanker can be seen passing in the CCTV footage moments before the crash happened.
The tanker was driven by professional driver Jamie Cummings at around 25mph.
Although Mr Cummings could not see Mr Davies' car in his mirrors, due to his blind spot, it was heard that he could see Groves' car 'attempting to overtake him a number of times'.
Gwent Police have released the footage with the permission of Mr Davies' family in a bid to remind motorists that 'careless driving ruins lives'.
Following the incident Groves called 999 on three occasions in an attempt to get help. On one occasion he told the court how Groves was told there could be a wait of 'over three hours'.
He said a fire engine was the first responder at the scene with paramedics arriving from 6.41am. Mr Davies was pronounced dead at 7.25am.
Dale Groves, of Alfred Street, Penydarren, Merthyr Tydfil, pleaded guilty to causing death by careless/inconsiderate driving, and was acquitted of the more serious charge of causing death by dangerous driving.
During his sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court on Friday, a heartrending statement from Mr Davies' partner Sharon Griffiths was read out in which she spoke of her devastating loss.
She said: 'I first found out Gareth had been in an accident when one of his colleagues contacted me that day. He stopped at the scene of the crash and stayed by his side. Gareth was conscious and able to communicate.
'I left and rushed to the scene and was shocked by the sheer volume of emergency vehicles. Gareth was very distressed and was clearly in a lot of pain.
'I called out to him to let him know I was there to reassure and comfort him and get him to calm down so the firefighter could help him, but he said: "I can't babe, I'm sorry".
'He became quiet and lost consciousness. The firefighters performed CPR on him and started shouting where the ambulance was.
'Some time passed and the ambulance arrived and Gareth was worked on continuously. Things were getting frantic and the air ambulance and both my sons arrived within seconds of each other. It felt like hours but it was probably minutes.
'I was approached by two people, a doctor and a police officer who told us the worst news imaginable. There was nothing else that could be done and Gareth had passed away. We collapsed into each other in shock, trying to keep each other standing up.
'Gareth was put into the back of an ambulance and we were allowed to spend time with him before he was transported to the hospital mortuary. A feeling of numbness and a false sense of reality followed in the weeks.
'We had to wait for the post mortem and felt helpless, we had no sense of purpose. There was no way to move forward as if everything had stopped.'
Ms Griffiths said it took a year before they found Groves was going to be prosecuted and it felt like they had been left without answers.
She described the trial as 'heartbreaking' after coming face to face with the defendant.
She added: 'The driver used the phrase "massive mistake'". His massive mistake has destroyed our family. Our lives are unrecognisable to what they were. Gareth's life was taken and ours were ruined.'
Groves was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment suspended for two years. He was ordered to carry out 250 hours unpaid work and disqualified from driving for five years.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Sun
35 minutes ago
- The Sun
Deputy head had sex with teen girl in cupboard at top school & visited her home for secret trysts while her mum was out
A MARRIED deputy headteacher had sex with a teen girl in a cupboard at a top school. Philip Culling targeted the "vulnerable" pupil while he was director of music at Godolphin and Latymer School in West London. 2 The married dad-of-three, who was in his 40s at the time, had a sexual relationship with the 19-year-old. This included intimate liaisons in his office and a sexual encounter in a cupboard that was interrupted by a dinner lady. His fling was reportedly an "open secret" among staff at the £33,000-a-year private school. He was allowed to quietly resign in 2014 without facing a disciplinary hearing, which allowed him to continue working in education. This included a stint at Holland Park Pre-Prep and Nursery in 2016, which was just one mile from his previous post. But in 2022 - eight years after his resignation - a whistleblower came forward, which triggered a formal probe. Culling has now been banned from teaching for life following a tribunal. The Teaching Regulation Agency found he had embarked on an "inappropriate sexual relationship with a vulnerable pupil". Panel chair Jo Palmer-Tweed said: "Mr Culling was a child protection officer at the school, and as such had appropriate training in safeguarding. "Despite this, he took advantage of the position of trust he was in towards a vulnerable child for his own gratification." The tribunal was told Culling and the girl met up secretly, kissed in parks and embraced in the school lift. They first had sex in a park following a leavers' reception in June 2013 and the pupil performed a sex act on him after the school's jazz night. After the teen left school in 2013, Culling would visit her home while her mum was out and the pair would have sex. The hearing was told: "Mr Culling came around, approximately once a week, and that they would talk and have sexual intercourse. "She stated that she moved into a flat in late August 2013, and that a lot of sexual acts including touching and oral sex happened in very public areas." Culling bought the girl, who was named only as Person B, gifts and referred to her as the "LOML" - love of my life - in a good luck message before her A-levels. He also signed a Valentine's card addressed to "by far the most gorgeous and wonderful person in the entire world". Culling took the girl to the pub for her birthday drink during school hours and received oral sex from her in the cupboard on a number of occasions. Goldolphin leaders did not contact police or teaching regulators because they believed the relationship had only started when the teenager left the school. The girl told the tribunal that Culling had "asked her lie" about the relationship in 2014 amid fears he would lose his job. The deputy head coached her on how to make the fling sound as "recent as it could be", it was said. He even messaged her in 2023 after the probe was launched in a bid to convince her not to help the investigation. Culling told her: "I'm hoping you'll agree with me that it is best not to engage with it. You can't be made to." He has now been banned from teaching indefinitely, with no review period, after being found him guilty of unacceptable professional conduct. The watchdog said: "The panel heard evidence of the long-term impact on Person B including the shame she feels as a result of their relationship and of having been coerced to lie to protect him. "It has tainted her memories of her school experience, and she referred to having 'struggled to see herself in a good light'. "Mr Culling's conduct led to Person B being exposed to, or influenced by, his behaviour in a harmful way." Godolphin and Latymer School, based in Hammersmith, has around 800 female pupils between the ages of 11 and 18. Famous alumni include celebrity chef Nigella Lawson, Hollywood actress Kate Beckinsale, singer Sophie Ellis-Bextor and TV presenter Davina McCall. A spokesperson said: "he TRA's report reveals a shocking and deeply disturbing pattern of past behaviour which we unequivocally condemn. "We fully support the TRA's decision to bar Philip Culling from working in the teaching profession ever again. "He left Godolphin and Latymer 11 years ago after a comprehensive governor-led investigation into his conduct. "The Hammersmith and Fulham LADO was fully aware and supported the school's actions at the time, and the police were also informed. Information and evidence not previously available to the school have now come to light through the TRA process and we are reviewing this. "Above all, we are devastated to learn that a former pupil suffered in this way." 2


BBC News
40 minutes ago
- BBC News
Crays Hill man 'refuses to attend court' accused of 41 dog deaths
A man accused of causing the deaths of 41 dogs at a rescue centre he ran refused to attend court, a judge animals were discovered during a raid at a property in Crays Hill near Billericay, Essex, on 13 discovered the remains of four more dogs on 4 June, after a number of buildings at the site were Rahman, 25, of Hope Road in the village, was due to appear at Southend Crown Court charged with three counts of fraud by false representation and two animal cruelty offences. However, Judge Samantha Leigh said he refused to leave the prison cell he was remanded in and attend the adjourned proceedings until the week beginning 23 June. Basildon Council launched an internal inquiry after the discovery, which also led to the seizure of 21 alive dogs in need of treatment.A 25-year-old woman from London and another man who were arrested by police have been bailed until were prohibited from entering Hope Road and being in possession of any animal during that period. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.


Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
Chinese restaurant featured in Netflix thriller Black Doves has licence revoked over illegal workers
A top Chinese restaurant which featured in Netflix spy drama Black Doves has had its licence revoked after it hired four illegal workers. Fei Er Cottage in Westminster, central London, was stripped of its right to sell alcohol by the local council last Thursday. It comes after immigration enforcement officers raided the restaurant last year and found four staff working without the correct visas or having illicitly entered the UK. Authorities discovered that the venue, which was used as a filming location in the hit show starring Keira Knightley, had four staff from China and Nepal working illegally in the kitchen or as waiters. A Home Office report claimed that their illegal employment was 'not just an honest mistake by the management but instead was a disregard for the immigration rules'. Further probes found that the restaurant, whose red basement dining area was used in a scene when Ben Whishaw 's character, hitman Sam Young, carries out his first kill, had also breached its CCTV conditions and alcohol licence. Following the immigration raid, a request was made to transfer Fei Er Cottage's licence to the current holder's ex-wife, Xiaoyu Wang. However, documents on Westminster City Council's website show this petition was rejected and the restaurant's licence has now been revoked completely. The Licensing Committee said the current owner Feng Qui had been involved in recruiting illegal workers, paying wages and agreeing rota hours. It also noted that he had been involved in employing another illegal worker at a previous premises in 2018. The committee stated that the restaurant should have severed links with Mr Qui when Ms Wang became the new director of the restaurant. In the decision document, the council said that Mrs Wang 'lacked experience running restaurants' and despite being seperated from her ex-husband, was still 'reliant' on him professionally. It was heard, however, that Mrs Wang had now ensured that all staff employed at Fei Er Cottage were now legal. The immigration raid at the restaurant took place on December 18 last year but it only came to light in March. It was found there was at least one worker doing more than 65 hours a week, according to payslips found by officers. They were being paid £12.50 an hour, which was above the UK minimum wage of £12.21 – but their pay was being 'taxed' by the restaurant by more than a third. It revealed a worker found in the kitchen had 'clandestinely entered the UK in 2012' and was arrested while working at another Chinese restaurant in 2018 before absconding six months later. A second worker entered the UK illegally in 2016, while a woman from China came into the UK on a visitors' visa but overstayed this and never had the right to work in the UK. Meanwhile an employee could only work 20 hours a week in term time because he was on a student visa - but was in fact working more than three times that. The decision by the council means that Fei Er Cottage, described as having some of the best handmade dumplings in London, has lost its licence to sell alcohol.