Drink driving: Merthyr son's dread a year on from dad's death

Ron Fealey died in hospital after being hit by a car on Christmas Eve

The son of a man who died after being hit by a drink driver says he dreads Christmas after having to switch off his dad's life support on Boxing Day.

Ron Fealey, 82, was struck while crossing the street in Merthyr Tydfil on Christmas Eve 2022.

His son Mike urged people not to get behind the wheel after drinking or if they had taken drugs.

Katrina Mahoney, 34, was given a five-year jail sentence after failing to stop at the scene of the crash.

She admitted death by careless driving while under the influence of alcohol for killing Mr Fealey, a former nurse, who was walking home after attending a Christmas Eve church service.

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Mike said his last Christmas was spent making the difficult decision to turn off his father's life support.

"The fact that the accident happened the way that it did felt like such a waste," he said.

"It's just such a stupid decision to make for no good reason which ends up with all this heartache.

Katrina Mahoney was found to have 73 micrograms of alcohol in 100ml of breath, more than twice the legal limit

"Christmas normally would be something really good to look forward to, now there's that sense of dread because you know what's coming and who's not going to be there."

The family described Ron as "funny, intelligent and caring".

Mike added: "I think if anyone's making the decision to drink and drive, or take drugs and drive, it's just a no-win situation.

Ron Fealey's grieving family James, Michael and Rachel outside pictured outside court earlier this year

"For the simple sake of a decision that'll take seconds, you are possibly going to ruin your own life as well as somebody else's."

South Wales Police urged people not to drive if they have consumed drugs or alcohol this Christmas after an increase in drink drive arrests this month.

Chief Constable Jeremy Vaughan said: "Increasingly we are seeing people make the decision to take drugs or drink alcohol and drive.

"In our last set of tests one in 20 came out as positive. That is too high. People's attitudes towards taking intoxicants and driving needs to change."

He said roads were safer than ever before but added driving was "one of the riskiest things people will do in their lives"