Cyclist left dying in road after being hit by drink-driver
A DRINK-DRIVER killed a cyclist after hitting him head-on and flinging him metres into the air.
Dominik Jablonicky, 27, then left Matthew Brimble, 37, in the road before leaving the scene.
In a heartbreaking statement, the victim’s mother, who had already lost one son, said she “constantly wonders” whether her son would still be alive if he had stopped to help.
She told the court sentencing Jablonicky: “I have lost both my children and I cannot bear the thought of a future without them – I feel empty, hopeless and helpless, it is so overwhelming.
“Matthew was loved and will forever be missed by family and friends. Everyone loved his cheeky smile and sense of humour. I constantly wonder that if the driver had stopped and called the emergency services, that my son may have survived. No prison sentence will ever bring my son back and I am heartbroken, I will never be called ‘Mum’ again.”
Jablonicky had been drinking vodka at a house party before driving his Audi A3 car at speed in Newport city centre and hitting Mr Brimble in a fatal collision on March 31.
He failed to stop following the crash and carried on driving at speed as the victim lay dying in the middle of the road. Jablonicky later returned to the scene and lied to an officer, pretending to be a concerned friend of the victim but failed to tell them he had caused the crash.
Mr Brimble, father of a daughter and a son, was taken to hospital but died hours later as a result of the severe injuries he suffered.
Jablonicky had been driving at between 57mph and 71mph in a 30mph zone just after he collided with Mr Brimble, Newport Crown Court heard yesterday.
Prosecutor Gareth Davies said the collision took place in the early hours near the Cenotaph, in Clarence Place.
Jablonicky had been to a house party in Newport with friends, having taken a bottle of vodka with him, which he drank from.
He left the party around 2am after waking up his friend’s girlfriend and child, and offered to drive another friend, Filip Dub, home, despite being described as “severely” intoxicated.
The court was told as he travelled towards Clarence Place the area was clear and well-lit, but he clipped the kerb with his vehicle at a roundabout, which caused him to almost crash head-on with a police car on the opposite carriageway.
Mr Davies said the defendant was unable to see Mr Brimble and he hit the cyclist head-on, hurling him off his bike and into the air.
The prosecutor added: “It would have been absolutely clear he had been involved in a serious accident, yet he did not stop at the scene. There was significant damage to the defendant’s vehicle and Mr Dub found himself covered in glass.”
The court heard Jablonicky later rang Mr Dub to discuss the incident and he returned to the scene an hour later, where he spoke to an officer while claiming to be a friend of Mr Brimble. That exchange was caught on camera by the officer.
The defendant, of Locke Street, Newport, handed himself in to police almost 10 hours after the collision when the alcohol he had consumed had left his body. He later pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
In a victim personal statement read out to the court, Mr Brimble’s mother, Nicola Brimble, said the death of her son had left her “a different person”.
Mrs Brimble added: “Matthew was cheeky and mischievous and had an air of confidence, he was a handsome young man. He was a smooth talker and a ladies’ man.
“Matthew came from a caring, loving family and was loved by everyone. He had a wicked sense of humour and a big heart.”
Judge Daniel Williams sentenced Jablonicky to six years’ imprisonment and disqualified him from driving for a total of nine years.