On Friday 19th October, the suburb of Ely in Cardiff became the setting for what has been described as ÔÇ£the most horrendous incident.ÔÇØ
At approximately 15.30 on Friday afternoon, peak time for parents and children walking home from school, a white van, driven by a man later named as 31-year old Matthew Tvrdon, drove through Ely targeting innocent pedestrians.
The incident lasted 30 minutes, spanning around two miles, and left 13 injured, 7 of which were children, two in critical condition and one person dead.
Karina Menzies, a 31-year old mother of three, was walking two of her children home from school when the van started causing havoc through Ely. Reportedly, Ms Menzies reacted selflessly on seeing the vans crazed motives, pushing her children out of the way but getting hit herself, and tragically dying.
Eyewitnesses have described the incident as ÔÇ£chaoticÔÇØ.
Reverend Jan Gould of Ely Church of the Resurrection, who held a special service on Sunday 21st, has said, ÔÇ£People here are numb at the moment and in shock – it’s like a state of carnage. Fortunately, despite its problems, Ely is a very close-knit community and people here are wonderful at pulling together and supporting each other.ÔÇØ
Tvrdon faces a total of 19 charges, including murder, 13 counts of attempted murder, four counts of assault causing actual bodily harm, and one charge of dangerous driving. The investigation is on going, but Tvrdon has been reprimanded to appear at Newport Crown Court for a plea hearing on 28 January 2013.
The Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, has said, “A tragic incident like this shows how fragile life is and how vulnerable we all are.ÔÇØ
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