A man who suffered a fractured skull and had his leg amputated after a hit-and-run has described his “nightmare” ordeal – as he backed a campaign to increase the “shoddy” penalties for uninsured drivers.
Ieuan Parry was 24 when he was struck by the driver of a white Mitsubishi fleeing police at high speed near Ebbw Vale, South Wales.
The uninsured motorist fled the scene and Mr Parry – who had been working on the roadside of a closed lane – was left with devastating injuries and the “agony” of “phantom pain” following his amputation.
The driver – who had reached speeds of more than 130mph during the police chase – later tried to blame the incident on his ex-partner by calling 999 and falsely claiming she had stolen his vehicle, according to reports.
He was jailed for three years and four months in February 2024 after pleading guilty to causing serious injury by dangerous driving and perverting the course of justice. It is understood he has since been released from prison.
Mr Parry – who asked Sky News not to name the motorist – said he felt “extremely frustrated” and “angry” about the driver’s actions and believes he should have received a longer prison term.
“I think it’s appalling to be honest with you,” he told Sky News.
“(The sentence was) not harsh enough for the seriousness of his crime.”
The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB), which has been supporting Mr Parry, is now calling for fines for uninsured drivers to increase from £300 to £1,200, saying the current penalty “simply isn’t enough of a deterrent”.
Mr Parry, now 27, was struck by the car while working by the A465 Heads of the Valleys road near Ebbw Vale in November 2021.
Describing the incident, he said he was using a leaf blower on the roadside shortly after noon when he heard a “droning noise” and looked up to see the vehicle coming towards him at speed.
“Before I had chance to do anything or move, I was struck – hit off my feet,” he said.
“That’s where the nightmare started.”
‘Excruciating pain’
Mr Parry suffered a fractured skull and a badly broken left leg that later had to be amputated below the knee.
“(I was in) excruciating pain on the side of the road,” he said.
“I remember asking: ‘Is my leg okay? Will I lose my leg?'”
Despite the severity of his injuries, Mr Parry tried to reach for his phone to contact work colleagues while lying in the road.
“I was more concerned about how it had happened – because I was in a coned-off lane,” he said.
“I wondered, ‘would there be more cars coming behind this car?'”
Describing his feelings towards the driver, Mr Parry said: “Obviously extremely frustrated… angry.
“God forbid it never happens, but if I ever found myself in a situation where I’d injured someone, the last thing I’d be doing is thinking about fleeing from the accident.”
Leg amputated
Mr Parry spent 17 days at the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff where he underwent surgery on five occasions.
Recalling the moment he was told his leg would have to be amputated, he said: “A lot of things went through my mind in terms of work, the relationship with my girlfriend… how everything in my life that I’ve worked towards thus far was going to be flipped round on its head.
“I did find that very difficult to deal with… losing your independence, not being able to go to the toilet on your own, not being able to wash yourself, not being able to do even the simplest of tasks.”
Since the amputation, Mr Parry said he has dealt with the “weird sensation” of “phantom pain”, which he continues to face to this day.
“It’s basically the nerves that still reside in my amputated leg sending signals to the brain,” he said.
“It’s almost like you feel as if your amputated limb is still there and you can get various sensations, from pins and needles and numbness…. through to quite severe pain.
“It almost feels like someone’s got a set of pliers on your toe and is squeezing it.
“Those sorts of pains, although they are getting better now, are still fairly frequent and they can immobilise you with agony.”
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‘My life is never going to go back to normal’
Mr Parry has also faced feelings of anxiety over the “massive change” in his appearance and his inability to do tasks he once found “very straightforward”.
He said he was “eternally grateful” for the support of his close family – particularly his partner Sophie who he married in June last year.
“There’s no way on this I’d have been able to cope with it on my own,” he added.
Since the collision, Mr Parry has started his own fencing and groundwork company but said: “I’ve come to the realisation that my life is never going to go back to normal as it was before.”
He added: “I’m always going to have disadvantages and issues with mobility and completing tasks, where I would not even have thought twice about it before.”
Campaign to increase uninsured driving penalties
The MIB is calling on the government to increase the current £300 fine for driving uninsured to £1,200 as part of its new five-year strategy, called Accelerating To Zero, which aims to end uninsured driving for good.
Police can issue a fixed penalty of £300 and six penalty points to anyone caught driving a vehicle they are not insured to drive.
If the case goes to court, the penalties can increase to an unlimited fine and the culprit can be disqualified from driving.
Police also have the power to seize and, in some cases, destroy a vehicle that has been driven uninsured.
A YouGov poll of more than 2,000 people found 78% did not think a £300 fine was enough of a deterrent and three-quarters supported increasing the fine to £1,200, according to the MIB.
The MIB’s chief executive Angus Eaton said uninsured drivers “wreck lives”, adding: “We believe that the current penalty of £300, which hasn’t changed in over 10 years, simply isn’t enough of a deterrent.
“We’re calling for the penalty to be raised so that it is double the average premium, to help eradicate the issue.”
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Mr Parry has backed the campaign, saying a fine for uninsured driving “definitely needs to be a lot more than £300”.
“For the fine to be less than an average insurance premium for the year, I think it’s a bit shoddy,” he added.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We take uninsured driving very seriously – it is dangerous and unacceptable.
“That is why the department is considering policy options on the motoring offences as part of the Road Safety Strategy.”
