**Teen Left Paralysed After Unlicenced Driver Ignored Pleas to Slow Down in Bridgend Crash**
A late-night car journey in Bridgend ended in life-altering tragedy after a reckless driver dismissed desperate pleas from his passengers to reduce his speed. Kane Yates, 21, crashed his Ford Fiesta on Wick Road in the early hours of August 7, 2022, rendering his close friend, Jay Doyley, paralysed from the neck down.
Jay Doyley, described by family as a once “fit and healthy” teenager, was left wheelchair-bound after suffering catastrophic spinal injuries in the crash. Mr Doyley, aged just 19 at the time and said to be a keen sportsman, now faces a lifetime of care, with even basic tasks such as feeding himself and using the toilet lost to him as a result of the incident.
The events leading up to the crash were detailed at a sentencing hearing at Cardiff Crown Court. According to prosecutor Thomas Stanway, Yates had not yet passed his driving test and was operating the car without a licence. His reckless behaviour behind the wheel included speeding through rural South Wales roads, swerving unpredictably, and nearly colliding with both another car and a pedestrian.
Despite being repeatedly urged to slow down by his passengers, Yates reportedly brushed off their worries with the phrase: “Nah, I’m alright.” The atmosphere in the car grew increasingly tense, with Mr Doyley at one point crying out, “Kane, we’re going to crash,” moments before disaster struck.
As the vehicle lost control, it rolled onto its roof, trapping all three teenage occupants inside. Mr Doyley, in clear distress, was heard pleading, “I can’t feel my legs, I am going to die.” Passers-by and emergency responders rushed to the scene, eventually rescuing the group and conveying Mr Doyley to the University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff. There, he underwent emergency surgery to stabilise his spine and spent weeks in rehabilitation at Llandough Hospital.
The crash’s aftermath has devastated Mr Doyley and his family. In a poignant statement read to the court, Jay’s sister Stacey Thomas described her brother as the “baby of the family,” whose promising future was tragically cut short. “He was a normal 19-year-old boy just starting his adult life—working full-time, learning to drive, surrounded by friends, and enjoying sports like football and mixed martial arts,” she said. “Now, he will never walk again. He will miss out on all those special milestones—driving, becoming a father, running a marathon, or simply living a normal life.”
Ms Thomas spoke of the immense emotional and psychological toll the incident has wrought: “He has been left vulnerable and hurt by someone he considered a friend, and never even received a word of concern from Kane.” She added that Mr Doyley will serve “a life sentence” far beyond the physical injuries, affecting him and his family forever.
In court, Yates maintained he had no recollection of the crash and denied driving dangerously. He had no previous criminal record, but has since been convicted of driving while under the influence of cocaine—adding to concerns about his disregard for road safety. Legal counsel for Yates, Ruth Smith, argued that her client was providing lifts for friends on the night in question, and noted that Yates himself had sustained a serious head injury as a child and lost hearing in one ear due to the collision.
Presiding Judge Jeremy Jenkins handed Yates a 28-month custodial sentence. He will be disqualified from driving for four years and two months. The case has amplified calls for greater awareness about the tragic consequences of dangerous driving and the profound, far-reaching impact such choices can have on victims and their families.
What remains clear is that one reckless decision behind the wheel has changed countless lives, leaving a family in mourning for the future that might have been, and prompting a sombre reminder of the lasting devastation caused by dangerous driving on our roads.