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| Woman killed after 74-year-old female driver saw 'binbag' http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=42296 |
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| Author: | StuartW [ Tue Feb 17, 2026 7:42 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Woman killed after 74-year-old female driver saw 'binbag' |
Make of this what you will, but very odd for a 74-year-old female driver to be working at that time of night. Or indeed at any time. It is a small town environment, though, so that could be factor. Anway, I'm never convinced with stuff like this that says because someone else saw something or the driver should have seen something then the driver must have seen something. It's now always that straightforward or easy, in my opinion at least. And maybe I missed it, but no word of how the deceased came to be lying unconscious in the road in the first place. Woman killed after taxi driver thought she drove over 'bin bag' lying in the road https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wale ... n-33433768 Lucy Stolzenberg, 74, claimed she thought she had hit a black bag, after driving over Rhian Cassidy and causing her 'catastrophic injuries' The family of a woman struck and killed by a taxi driver as she lay unconscious in the road asked her "Why didn't you stop?". The victim suffered 31 fractures and blunt force injury after the driver mistook her for a black bin bag. Lucy Stolzenberg, 74, was driving four passengers through Caerau, near Maesteg, in the early hours of June 22 last year when she ran over Rhian Cassidy, 58. The victim had fallen into the road 10 minutes earlier and had lay there unconscious when the defendant failed to see her. A sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court heard Ms Cassidy had appeared unsteady on her feet before stumbling backwards and falling into Caerau Road. She was lying on her back with her feet one metre from the curb. At 12.24am, a vehicle drove towards Ms Cassidy on Caerau Road but upon seeing the victim lying in the road, the car came to a stop 10 metres away from her. The driver got out and approached her and other bystanders came to check on her, but they left the scene leaving Ms Cassidy in the road. https://d10d6bgsrr5grn.archive.is/8t9rh ... 16efe.avif As Stolzenberg's taxi was driving down Caerau Road, a man put his arm out in an attempt to notify her of the victim in the road, an action that was seen by one of her passengers. Prosecutor Hashim Salmman said a nearby resident heard a "thud" and a man saying "I am phoning the f****** police, stay where you are". One of the defendant's passengers described feeling a "big bump" as though the taxi had hit an object, causing the three rear passengers up in the air out of their seats. The passengers told Stolzenberg to stop but she continued driving until she reached a corner shop 20 metres away. A passenger got out of the vehicle and looked back down the road, but the defendant shouted "Oi, get back in the car". The passenger got back in and the taxi drove off, with Stolzenberg making two stops to drop off her passengers. During the last journey, she avoided Caerau Road, which her passenger found "strange". The defendant was quoted as saying "We didn't see anything did we?" An ambulance was called and Ms Cassidy was treated on the roadside having suffered "catastrophic injuries". Due to her deteriorating condition, police escorted the ambulance to Sarn services where an air ambulance was waiting. But Ms Cassidy's condition continued to deteriorate and she stopped breathing. Her death was confirmed at 3.02am. A post mortem revealed the victim had suffered a total of 31 fractures, and a cause of death was given as "blunt injury to the trunk including fractures to the ribs, thoracic spine and pelvis. An investigation into the collision concluded that Ms Cassidy would have been visible from approximately 35 metres away on Caerau Road, which has a speed limit of 20mph. It was said a driver would have had enough time to "react and stop safely". Police enquiries identified Stolzenberg as the driver of the vehicle which struck Ms Cassidy and she was located in Tonna Road at 2am. She was cautioned and told officers: "Well I have been up and down Caerau Road, I thought I saw a black bag in the road. I came over a bit so I didn't hit it. "I have been up and down Caerau Road all night, that's the only time I have seen it. I didn't knock her down, I didn't even see her in the road, I didn't see anybody in the road. I am a bit shaky, I didn't know, I thought it was a black bag I did." Stolzenberg, of Heol y Glyn, Cymmer, Neath Port Talbot, later pleaded guilty to causing death by careless/inconsiderate driving and failing to stop following a road collision. The court heard she has no previous convictions. Reading his own victim personal statement to the court, Ms Cassidy's nephew Mathew Cassidy said: "My aunty had her moments later in life, things weren't easy in the family since the death of my grandfather. She had a way with words and would make us laugh. We had a good relationship and as her only nephew, she loved my kids. I made a promise to my grandfather to look after her and that's what I'm doing today. "We have no malice towards you Lucy but the impact of Rhian's death has been massive. We were all in shock at what happened to her." Mr Cassidy said the collision took place on the same day as his daughter's birthday, and the last footage he saw of his aunty was of her delivering birthday cards at their home. He added: "We miss her dearly. It's had a profound effect on my mother because she was the last person who was with her and the last person to speak to her. She has flashbacks of seeing her in the road. My father could not face being here for this after what happened to his sister, he has struggled to come to terms with being the only one left of the household he grew up in. "We will continue to feel her loss on milestones and family gatherings. The circumstances of her death has caused great harm and her loss will never truly leave us. After today, we can leave her to rest and carry on with our lives. We ask only one question, why didn't you stop?" In mitigation, defence barrister Ruth Smith said her client was "truly remorseful" for the devastation caused to Ms Cassidy's family. She said the incident has also had a "devastating effect" on the defendant's mental health. The court heard Stolzenberg has been diagnosed with PTSD and is "racked with remorse". She has withdrawn socially, has fears of being judged by the community and will no longer drive or work as a taxi driver." Sentencing, Judge Vanessa Francis said: "A careful and competent driver would have seen someone was lying in the road. You should have seen someone was lying in the road and if you didn't, you should have stopped as is your duty as a professional driver and made far more inquiries than you did." Stolzenberg was sentenced to 22 weeks imprisonment, suspended for 12 months. The defendant was made subject to a 20 day rehabilitation activity requirement, was ordered to pay £150 in costs and was disqualified from driving for 18 months. |
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| Author: | edders23 [ Wed Feb 18, 2026 1:15 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Woman killed after 74-year-old female driver saw 'binbag |
Quote: And maybe I missed it, but no word of how the deceased came to be lying unconscious in the road in the first place. I'm sure we could all make a pretty close guess  As for the driver perhaps this was a family business and granny helped out although I doubt that will continue |
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