THIS is the horrifying moment an “impatient”;; driver smashed into a dad and killed him as he made his way to work.
Gareth Davies tragically told his partner “I can’t babe, I’m sorry”;; after she rushed to the scene in Merthyr Tydfil, South .
The 43-year-old was indicating to turn right when Dale Groves hurtled towards him without stopping.
Footage has been released at the request of the family to remind motorists that “careless ruins lives”;;.
It shows Groves smash into the side of Gareth’s Clio in a dangerous bid to overtake.
Gareth’s partner Sharon Griffiths was joined by their two sons at the side of the road as they were told “the worst news imaginable”;; that he had tragically passed away.
She told Crown how she and her sons “collapsed into each other in shock”;;.
Groves was spared jail and instead handed a ten month sentence, suspended for two years.
He was also ordered to carry out 250 hours unpaid work and disqualified from driving for five years after pleading guilty to causing death by careless driving.
The horror unfolded on April 13, 2023, as Groves attempted to overtake Gareth, who was following a large oil tank lorry.
Groves called 999 on three occasions in an attempt to get help following the crash but was told there could be a wait of “over three hours”;;.
A fire engine was the first at the scene, with paramedics arriving from 6.41am.
In a victim impact statement, Sharon told how she found out about the accident when one of Gareth’s colleagues contacted her.
She said she was “shocked by the sheer volume of emergency vehicles”;; when she arrived.
Sharon added: “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.”;;
The mum said paramedics were “frantically”;; working on Gareth when her two sons arrived at the scene.
She continued: “I was approached by two people, a doctor and a 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.”;;
Sharon said the trial was “heartbreaking”;; after coming face to face with Groves.
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.”;;
