Cyclist and dad-of-three died after being hit by car on the way home from work
The devastated family of a man killed while cycling home from work have issued a safety plea to motorists after he was struck from behind by a car. Donald Mitchell, 61, from Bridgend[1], South Wales, was travelling on the A48 near Laleston when the crash happened days before Christmas[2] on December 17 2020.
The dad of three sadly died at the scene having sustained severe injuries. The driver of the car, a Volvo, appeared in court in December 2022 and pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving. He was disqualified from driving for 10 years and sentenced to an eight-month prison sentence, suspended for 24 months.
Donald who worked as an academic librarian and was an experienced cyclist was wearing a high-vis jacket and his bike also had a flashing red light at the rear of his bike when the crash happened. At the time of Donald’s death, he and Sian, a veterinary surgeon, had been married for almost 35 years. The couple enjoyed travelling and had been looking forward to spending retirement together.
Now Sian, alongside the couple’s three daughters Hannah, 32, Eluned, 29 and Siriol Mitchell, 25 in an appeal with lawyers at Irwin Mitchell are urging drivers to be more mindful of the consequences of not taking care on the roads to mark bike week.
Speaking of the day of the crash, Sian says that when Donald was late returning home she went to look for him, expecting him to have had a puncture and be out of phone signal. It was only when seeing the A48 was closed that she began to panic as she said there were frequent crashes on that road.
“I knew that was part of his route home, and I know that they close that if there’s a really nasty accident. I went to his collage and they said he left on time and I started to really panic then.” She phoned the police and the hospital and waited with some friends and that is when she was told that Donald had been killed.
Donald Mitchell was described by his family as an avid cyclist (Image: South Wales Police)
“I keep reliving that day in my head. It was just like any other, and Donald and I had been looking forward to Christmas[4] with our girls. But by that evening, my whole world had been torn apart.”
Paying tribute to her late husband Sian said: “He was my best friend as well as my husband. We’d been through everything together and it’s heart-breaking that he’s no longer here. We’d been together a very long time, and we’d grown through lots of things.
“The only way I can cope with what’s happened is because of my faith in Jesus Christ as my Saviour and Lord, trusting Him each day and by keeping busy. Donald was an amazing dad to our three girls The devastation of losing him has changed all our lives so much.
“He loved his cycling. He loved it for fitness, he loved it for the competition. He was a very experienced cyclist. I’m getting used to being on my own but it can be as hard as it was in the early days, out of the blue.
Everything is different. I am on my own now and you do get lonelier in the sense that you haven’t got the companionship. My girls are very good but equally, they’ve got lives to lead. and they’ve lost their dad.”
Donals was a competitive cyclist
Sian is sharing what happened to Donald in the hopes it can make drivers realise the importance of road safety, especially when it comes to vehicles interacting with cyclists. “People have got to realise that if, they’re driving cars, and they have an incident with a cyclist, the cyclist is always going to come off worse.
She added: “All car drivers must remember that in any incident involving cars and cyclists, the cyclist is always more vulnerable. Drivers must take care when overtaking cyclists, treating them as a car rather than rushing to get past as quickly as possible, hardly giving them any room.
“The Highway Code has also recently changed stating that drivers must leave at least 1.5m when overtaking cyclists. I hope that by sharing our story we can make others see how important it is to be safe and be careful and considerate on the roads. I wouldn’t want any other family to go through the pain and grief we have.”
Deborah Rose, the specialist road accident lawyer at Irwin Mitchell representing Donald’s family, said: “The past two-and-a-half years have been incredibly difficult for Sian and the couple’s daughters who are all understandably struggling to come to terms with their tragic loss.
“Sadly, through our work we too often come across families left facing the devastating consequences of the actions of others on the roads. What happened to Donald is a stark reminder of this and continues to have a profound impact on his loved ones.
“In the meantime, we join Sian, Hannah, Eluned and Siriol in urging all road users to stay safe and take care at all times.”