‘It’s still fresh like it happened yesterday, and it’s still raw’
THE lives of Tracy Kennedy, husband Paul and son Adrian were torn apart on July 4, 2016, when they received news that Kelly Kennedy, their daughter and sister, had died in horrific and totally preventable circumstances.
Her killers were two 23-year-old men, racing deadly vehicles at 90mph for fun on public roads.
Liam Price ploughed head on into Kelly’s car, causing a “huge impact” which killed her instantly. He had been racing Cory Kedward.
Kelly, just 25, was a much-loved aspiring social worker, just two weeks away from going on a dream roundthe-world trip with friends. She was planning a spell working as a volunteer in an elephant sanctuary in Thailand.
Today Kelly’s mother keeps her memory alive by campaigning tirelessly to stop similar tragedies. But she is haunted by the fact her daughter never even made it on her dream holiday while her killers are already free.
“They are out now, and it just feels so unfair,” she says.
On the day of the crash Kelly had just finished work and begun the drive down the main A4067 towards home in Clydach – her Ford Ka was the first in a line of traffic heading from the direction of Pontardawe. Coming in the opposite direction were Kedward, in his Vauxhall Astra SRi, and Price in his Honda Civic Sport. Just after the Glais roundabout, Kedward and Price overtook a slower-moving car, then began to race each other.
At speeds touching 90mph the pair raced “side by side” along the road, Kedward in the nearside lane, Price in the offside. Neither slowed down or showed any sign of wanting to “give in” to the other, leading to the collision. Kedward, whose car had not been caught up in the crash, drove off from the scene.
In April 2018, Price, then 23, of
Western Avenue, Sandfields, Port Talbot, was sentenced to six years and four months after admitting causing Kelly’s death by dangerous driving, while Kedward, then 23, of Gelligaled Road, Ystrad, was convicted of the same offence following a trial and was jailed for seven years.
Both men have since been released.
Recalling the initial few years after her daughter’s tragic passing, mum Tracy Kennedy said: “I don’t really know how I got through that time, I really do not. I think to be honest, it was my son, I’ve got my son, and I have got to keep going for Adrian. I thought, ‘I have got to keep going for Adrian’ and I do every day.
“In the mornings I always text Kelly and say how my day has been. I find that helps me as well.
“That’s the way I deal with it, by texting her. Even if I’m having a bad day I’ll text and tell her how I feel, and it brings me out of it.
“I do miss her. She was my best friend and I could tell her anything. She always used to give me good advice and vice versa. She would always be there for everybody. She had so much to live for and booked to go around the world two weeks before she died. They are out now, and it just feels so unfair.”
Mrs Kennedy is currently preparing to put on an event to thank a charity that “pulled her through the darkest time of her life”.
In her memory, the Kelly Kennedy Memorial Night will be held at Manor Park County House in Clydach from 7pm on Thursday, November 17, with all proceeds going towards Cruse Bereavement Care, a cause very close to Mrs Kennedy’s heart.
Mrs Kennedy explained: “I feel I owe it to Cruse, they pulled me through the darkest times of my life, and I feel this gives me satisfaction and peace knowing I’m helping them to help others who are unfortunately in the situation I was in six years ago. It means a lot to me, I always want to keep her memory alive, and so every year I do things for her, because it helps me. I feel close to her when I’m doing things like that.
“Kelly loved life, and she would be proud and walking beside me, pushing me on. I keep thinking of her and she gives me the oomph to carry on. I sense her all the time around me. It’s still fresh like it happened yesterday, and it’s still raw. This is a thing we have got to live with forever, and some days you think, yes, you’re fine, and other days it comes from nowhere and knocks you sideward. I don’t think it’s ever going to go away and I don’t think we’ll ever be the same family that we were.
“I was going to Cruse every week for a long, long time, I was in a really bad place and they brought me though a lot, just through talking, and having better advice on what to do when you’re feeling really low. They were always there for me and would listen to how I was feeling. Sometimes it is nice to get it off your chest to people who don’t know you, rather than worrying your family. Even now, if I pick a phone up, they’ll see me straightaway, nothing is too much trouble for them.”
We reported in January this year that Mrs Kennedy had won her campaign to reduce the speed limit along the A4067; the speed limit on the road is now capped at 40mph from 60mph, while average-speed cameras are being introduced to further encourage motorists to follow the speed restrictions.
“Now, I feel relief,” Mrs Kennedy said. “I just hope that other lives will be saved now, hopefully they will stick to the speed limit there. I feel relief because I didn’t want any other families to go through what we go through daily.
“Even if it saves one life, at least I’ve tried. It was hard for the first five years, keeping on to them all the time. I’m just gutted that it had not been done years ago and maybe Kelly would still be here now.” ■ If you would like to purchase a ticket for the event, which cost £10 for adults and £5 for children, contact Mrs Kennedy on her Facebook page. And if you would like to make a donation to Cruse see https:// crusebereavementcare.beaconforms.com/form/bcd994e9.