Widow describes crash that left husband dead

A WIDOW has told a court of the devastating aftermath of a car crash in which her husband and baby son died.

Amanda Lewis said she still found her husband’s death, at Cardiff’s Lamby Way, “hard to accept”.

Kyle Kennedy denies causing the deaths of Simon Lewis and his baby son by dangerous driving on New Year’s Eve.

He admitted a lesser charge of causing the death by careless driving of Mr Lewis, but previously denied causing the death of Simon Jr.

But yesterday, the 29-year-old, of Harris Avenue, Rumney, admitted causing the death of the youngster by careless driving.

In a statement read by prosecutor Matthew Cobbe at Cardiff Crown Court, Mrs Lewis said she heard her husband swear before the crash.

“I could see the lights of a car coming toward us,” she added.

“I felt the impact of the other car. The next thing I remember was I could see the car was smashed up.”

Unable to see her husband’s face, Mrs Lewis said: “I tapped him and told him to get out of the car. There was no sound. He was not responding in any way.”

She remembered a man helping her daughter Summer, who was in the back seat, from the car.

“I tried to get back to the car, but the man pushed me away,” she said.

She called her husband’s stepfather to say there had been an accident. When he arrived, she said he went to the car and then walked back to her and “shook his head”. She said she knew Simon was dead.

“I would not believe it until I heard it from a police officer but no-one would tell me,” she said.

When she was told, she said she was “devastated.”

“I still find it hard to accept what happened,” she said.

She described Mr Lewis as a “loving father” who was “a safe and cautious driver”.

The court has previously heard Mrs Lewis was pregnant at the time and suffered injuries as a result of the crash. The couple’s baby – Simon Jr – was delivered prematurely three days later, on January 3, by Caesarean section, but died.

In a statement read by Mr Cobbe, Toyota driver Mark Leadbetter explained how he was driving behind Mr Lewis’ Daihatsu.

“I became aware of a vehicle driving toward me in the opposite direction,” he said.

“It was about 100 yards away and I thought nothing of it. In a split second a second set of lights appeared alongside the first set.

“It must have been right behind the first and pulled into my lane.” The Daihatsu was still in front of him. “I thought it was not right and something bad was going to happen,” Mr Leadbetter said.

“I slowed down and the collision happened in front of me.”

The trial heard how Kennedy was in a coma for four days after the crash and had no memory of what happened.

The interview he gave to police before he was charged was read to the court.

Kennedy had told officers: “I did not know my parents had been to visit me or anything. The first few days I was not breathing on my own.”

“I’m lucky really,” Kennedy police.

“It’s a tragic situation. I wish I could give you full answers.”

He said he did not remember anything except “coming around not knowing what happened.”

“I couldn’t even walk that day,” he said. (Proceeding) told