Woman ‘in agony’ after stolen car smashes into her before hitting house
A woman has spoken about the terrifying moment a stolen car was driven into her teenage daughter’s vehicle, leaving her injured and traumatised. Speaking on behalf of her 19-year-old daughter, mum Emma Harper said the teenager had just pulled off from their home in Cefn Coed, Merthyr Tydfil, when the smash happened at around 2pm on Thursday, June 8.
She said her daughter, Chrissie Jones, who saved up money to buy her car in October, had since suffered from flashbacks and feared driving in the future. The 41-year-old said the teenager had been approaching the junction of the A465 Lower Vaynor Road moments before the crash, which involved her silver Volkswagan Polo and a blue Ford EcoSport which had previously been reported as stolen. South Wales Police said two men made off from the scene following the crash.
Emma explained: “A black car was approaching the junction of the A465, called Lower Vaynor Road. It stopped at the junction because it was my daughter’s right of way. The blue car overtook the black car at the junction and smashed straight into my daughter. It smashed into her, then into a [different] black car parked on the other side of the road and then into a house. Dashcam footage showed that Chrissie had been driving at just 18 miles an hour.” You can get more Merthyr Tydfil news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here[1].
Following the crash, Emma said Chrissie experienced intense pain throughout her body and was in agony if she moved her legs. She said a passing ambulance en-route to Prince Charles Hospital with a patient stopped to check her daughter over, before she had to wait a further two hours to be taken to hospital.
Chrissie was taken to Prince Charles Hospital following the collision (Image: Emma Harper)
Emma said: “An ambulance was passing to go to hospital, but it had a patient inside. The police asked them to come and check my daughter because she was in so much pain. Those paramedics assessed her and said her heart rate was really high, probably because of pain and shock. They said she needed to be spinally immobilised to be able to get out of the car.
“We had to wait 2.5 hours then for an ambulance to get her out of the car. We got to the hospital while there were 14 ambulances outside waiting to offload. A doctor came out to assess her and said they needed to see her now and she went straight into recess and had a full body scan within 20 minutes. They were absolutely fantastic in the hospital, there was no waiting around.”
Damage to the stolen blue car following the crash (Image: Facebook / Matt Ian)
South Wales Police said two men made off from the scene (Image: Facebook / Matt Ian)
Luckily, Emma said her daughter did not sustain any serious injuries. She is now recovering at home with painful muscular damage to her neck, shoulder, collar bone and back. Emma said: “Physically, she is hurting, but she thankfully hasn’t got any serious injuries. She bought her car in October and, thankfully, it was a strong, sturdy, car able to protect her, I think it would have been a different outcome if she had been in an older vehicle.”
Emma said the mental impact on Chrissie and her family had been profound, as they thought of what could have happened that afternoon. She added: “It was terrifying because she was in so much pain. She has been having flashbacks ever since and she is distraught now. She said she doesn’t want to drive again now. I’m just glad no-one was killed by their stupidity. It’s lucky there were not any pedestrians walking past, they wouldn’t have had a chance.”
The blue car’s owner – who was not driving the vehicle at the time – said it was likely a write-off (Image: Facebook / Matt Ian)
Later that evening, the owner of the blue car, who was not driving the vehicle at the time, posted an appeal for information on social media. He shared pictures of the smashed up car with its engine exposed and said: “My car was stolen from outside my house last night [Wednesday night] but has been recovered [Thursday] afternoon after being involved in a major collision. The car appears to be a [write] off, but had been emptied of all my property. If anyone sees items such as hiking boots, waterproof clothing, hoodies, etc, suspiciously dumped, I would be very grateful for any information that will help me recover them.”
A spokesman for South Wales Police[3] said: “At 2pm on Thursday, June 8, police attended a road traffic collision on Merthyr High Street where a car which had previously been reported as stolen, crashed into two other cars. Two men from the stolen vehicle made off from the scene, while the other persons involved experienced injuries described as non-serious. Enquiries are ongoing to establish the circumstances of the crash and the reports of the stolen car.”
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References
- ^ subscribing to our newsletters here (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ Man caught slashing police speed camera van’s tyre (www.walesonline.co.uk)
- ^ South Wales Police (www.walesonline.co.uk)