Relatives Living Life Sentence Support Brake’s Road Safety Week

The family of a young footballer killed by a speeding driver has backed a road safety charity’s campaign urging motorists to slow down.

Ryan Coney’s grieving relatives are supporting Brake’s Road Safety Week following the death of the popular 22-year-old earlier this year.

The factory worker suffered fatal chest injuries when a Suzuki Swift he was a front seat passenger in crashed into a wall.

The driver, Morgan Chaplin, 18, had cocaine and cannabis in his system and was travelling at more than twice the speed limit when he lost control of the car and hit a garden wall in Pelsall, Walsall.  The Court was also told that Chaplin had never before driven on a public road. 

Now Ryan’s family, which is receiving ongoing support from expert serious injury lawyers at Irwin Mitchell, is backing Brake’s campaign in a bid to prevent other families having to endure  its heartbreak.

Ryan’s mum Vivienne, 51, said: “Our family has been torn apart by Ryan’s unnecessary death.

“There is still not a day goes by that we don’t think of Ryan and how his hopes and dreams for the future have been snatched away.

“Although the driver responsible for my son’s death has been jailed he will get his life back in only a few months, we are living a life sentence.

“We hope that by telling our story drivers stick to the speed limit and realise the devastating impact their selfish and reckless actions can have on families such as ours.” 

Wolverhampton Crown Court was told that Chaplin was travelling at 63 mph in a 30 mph zone in Lichfield Road, Pelsall, when he lost control of the Suzuki, clipped a kerb and ploughed into a wall.

Ryan, the youngest of four children alongside Lee, 29, Jemma, 28 and Dean, 27, died shortly after the collision which happened at about 7pm on 11 February. Two other passengers in the car survived the collision.

Chaplin, of Bloxwich, Walsall, was sentenced to three years and four months in jail after he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving. He will serve half of that sentence before being released on licence. Upon on his release from prison, the teenager must also serve a five-year driving ban.

Chaplin was also found to have been driving without a licence or insurance, failing to stop, and two types of banned recreational drugs were found to be in his system at the time of the crash.

Irwin Mitchell has teamed up with Brake to support Road Safety Week which runs between 20 and 26 November. This year’s main focus is on encouraging motorists to slow down and help reduce road fatalities.

Jemma said: "Ever since that night our lives have changed so much. Every day without my little brother is a struggle. I wake up each day hoping it’s just been a bad dream.

“All I can hope for now is that Ryan’s death serves as a stark reminder to unqualified drivers, who think it’s acceptable to get behind the wheel, of the trail of destruction they can cause.”

Rebecca Hearsey, an expert road accident lawyer at Irwin Mitchell, is representing Ryan’s family.

Expert Opinion

We often see first-hand the devastation that can be caused by the stupidity of drivers who break the speed limit.

“Ryan and his family have paid the ultimate price because of Morgan Chaplin’s selfish actions.”

“Irwin Mitchell is continuing to support Vivienne and the family and we hope that their heartache prompts motorists to take more care on the roads.” Rebecca Hearsey - Senior Associate Solicitor

Read more about Irwin Mitchell's expertise in handling road traffic accident cases.