Hit-and-run victim’s dad vows to find the culprit
THE father of a man left for dead in a hit-and-run said he will “never give up” trying to find the driver.
John Conibeer, 32, was left in critical condition after being hit by a Transit van on February 17.
A father of two, the amateur boxer had been travelling from Chepstow to Newport when the Honda he was travelling in lost control.
When he stepped out of the car to try to move it, he was hit by a van on the A48 near Pwllmeyric in Chepstow.
After undergoing 48 hours of emergency surgery, the roofer, from Lliswerry in Newport, is now recovering from injuries to his kidneys, liver, ribs and bowel. It is hoped he will be able to leave the Royal Gwent Hospital in Newport by next weekend.
“It’s ripped our lives upside down,” John’s father Anthony said. “John was in his girlfriend’s car and she lost control, as there was a puncture in one tyre. It spun and she hit the wall.
“John went out to see if he could move it and check it out, and as he went round the passenger side the Transit hit him – it went straight over him. He didn’t stop. That was the Friday night. On Saturday morning there was a knock on the door. I thought John had lost his keys but it turned out it was the police.”
After being rushed to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff, John’s family were given a matter of minutes to decide their son’s future.
“I couldn’t go with my wife at the time as I had my granddaughter, so I dropped her off and came straight back,” the 64-year-old said.
“The next thing I knew John was taken to the hospital in the Heath [University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff] and my wife had to make the decision then about his operation. It was a case of do or die. My wife signed the form and everything started to go uphill.”
After recovering from his first operation, John has since been moved to Morriston Hospital in Swansea before being transferred back to Newport.
Police investigations are continuing to try to identify the driver of the van. Gwent Police are appealing for witnesses to come forward, including the owners of a Nissan Note believed to have passed the scene of the incident.
Anthony said: “When it first happened we thought someone might put their hands up and come forward but they haven’t, which is really cruel...
“We’ll never give up, we’ll catch them one way or another.”
■ To report any information, call police on 101 quoting log number 44 17/02/18.