Cyclist thrown in air like a rag doll in fatal crash

Clive Rogers' wife was cycling behind him, witnessed the crash and cradled her husband as he lay dying at the side of the road

13:12, 11 Sep 2025Updated 17:50, 11 Sep 2025

A keen cyclist was killed in a crash that was witnessed by his wife who was cycling behind as they returned from a friend's house. Emma Rogers described it as like a "bomb going off" when her husband was hit by a 74-year-old driver and thrown up into the air like a "rag doll".

Mrs Rogers cradled her husband's head as he was treated at the roadside. The 51-year-old died after being struck by a Mini Cooper driven by Pauline Parnell, now 76, on Boxing Day, 2023, on the A48 at Marshfield between Newport[1] and Cardiff[2].

The victim and his wife Emma had attended a friend's house and were riding their bikes home, with Mr Rogers wearing an elf costume and a Santa hat.

A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court[3] on Thursday heard Mr Rogers was a "keen and experienced cyclist" who had recently taken part in a charity bike ride, and his bike was still decorated with tinsel. For the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter[4].

At around 5.20pm, Mrs Rogers described her husband riding around 10 metres ahead of her as they rode back to their home in St Mellons.

She could see him clearly, and he was wearing LED lights which made him visible to passing traffic.

Mrs Rogers could hear the defendant's car approaching from behind her and passing her at close hand.

She then saw the Mini heading directly towards her husband and screamed out his name, but the vehicle had blocked her view of him.

Reading out her victim personal statement to the court, Mrs Rogers said: "The night of the collision will stay with me forever.

It was like a bomb going off and Clive was thrown into the air like a rag doll and his bike exploded into pieces.

"I could hear someone screaming and realised it was me. The car just drove straight through him and didn't stop."

Parnell continued to drive following the collision, and stopped around 400m further down the road.

Witnesses said the Mini did not appear to brake or slow down before the collision with Mr Rogers, who was lying lifelessly on his back in the road. One witness said the Mini had "aggressively swerved" in an attempt to miss him, but it was too late.

Mrs Rogers said: "I bent down to him, held his head and shouted his name but his eyes were dull and lifeless, and he had lost his sparkle....

I already knew he had left me, I felt he had already gone."

The emergency services were called to the scene and Mr Rogers was taken to the University Hospital of Wales[5] in Cardiff. He was unconscious and was in cardiac arrest.

The victim was bleeding from the left side of his chest and underwent blood and plasma transfusions as well as chest being drained.

Mr Rogers underwent emergency surgery but despite the best efforts of medical professionals he was declared dead at 10.18pm.

Parnell was spoken to by police and tested negative for drugs and alcohol. She told officers her eyes had been "blinded by bright lights".

She was arrested and interviewed, but denied she had been driving dangerously, and answered "no comment" to questions.

A forensic collision investigation concluded there was no evidence of the Mini braking or slowing down before the point of impact, and the vehicle was travelling between 36mph and 45mph.

The LED lights worn by Mr Rogers would have provided "significant visual cues" for motorists.

Parnell, of Heritage Park, Trowbridge, Cardiff, later pleaded guilty to causing death by careless driving. The court heard she has no previous convictions.

Continuing her victim personal statement, Mrs Rogers said she had met her husband at work and knew she had "met someone special". They moved in together, bought and renovated their own home, ran a rabbit sanctuary, travelled to more than 50 countries and spent 23 years together.

She told the court she would "give anything" not to have ridden home on the A48 on the day of her husband's death.

She added: "He stood absolutely no chance, my only hope is it was so quick he didn't suffer any pain. The accident changed my life forever, I stayed with my parents but when I returned home I screamed his name at the top of my voice, crying out his name in the hope he would answer."

Mrs Rogers said she suffered panic attacks, nightmares, relayed the accident in her head and described feeling "survivor's guilt", asking "why she lived and he died".

Concluding her statement, she added: "I lost the person I loved forever, I still feel lost without him and don't know who I am anymore, I feel part of me is missing. He was a loving son, brother, silly uncle and father figure to his nieces.

He was my world and everything.

"We had 21 rescue animals, had holidays booked and big plans for our home. I feel sad and angry he never got to spend time with our new animals, never got to see sights from our trips and our home being finished. All his years of hard work and effort were for nothing.

All our plans were gone in an instant."

In a statement read to the court by prosecutor Rosamund Rutter, Mr Rogers sister Dawn Rogers said the lives of her family had "changed forever" after they were told the news while sitting down to Boxing Day dinner.

She said: "I never imagined he would be killed on his bike... Things will never be the same again. Our family is small and now only consists of my mother and two daughters.

Without Clive we are lost, coping with the tragedy of his death is impossible and something we'll never get over.

"Clive taught my daughters how to ride their bicycles and was a kid himself. He would do all the fun stuff an uncle would do and he enjoyed time with my girls. He was fun loving and they adored Clive."

In mitigation, Peter Donnison said his client had expressed sincere and genuine remorse and was deeply sorry for the suffering she has caused.

He said the defendant has a number of health issues, and will "have to live with collision for the rest of her life."

Sentencing, Judge Paul Hobson said Mr Rogers had "done nothing wrong" and would have been clearly visible to "any careful motorist".

The judge added: "No sentence I can pass on you can be a measure of his life's worth. No court can do that... You cannot have been paying proper attention to the road."

Parnell was sentenced to 15 months imprisonment, suspended for two years.

She was also disqualified from driving for three years.

Join the WalesOnline WhatsApp community

WalesOnline has launched a new breaking news and top stories WhatsApp community.

From the biggest court stories to the latest traffic updates, weather warnings and breaking news, it's a simple way to stay up to date with what's happening in Wales.

Want to join? All you have to do is click on this link[6], select 'Join Community' and you're in. We will not spam your feed with constant messages, but you will receive updates from us daily.

If for some reason you decide you no longer want to be in our community, you can leave by clicking on the name at the top of your screen and clicking 'Exit Group'.

We occasionally treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners.

You can read our Privacy Notice here.[7]

Join our WhatsApp community here[8]

References

1. ^ Newport (www.walesonline.co.uk)
2. ^ Cardiff (www.walesonline.co.uk)
3. ^ Cardiff Crown Court (www.walesonline.co.uk)
4. ^ or the latest court reports sign up to our crime newsletter (www.walesonline.co.uk)
5. ^ University Hospital of Wales (www.walesonline.co.uk)
6. ^ click on this link (chat.whatsapp.com)
7. ^ Privacy Notice here. (www.reachplc.com)
8. ^ Join our WhatsApp community here (chat.whatsapp.com)