Sister's quarry deaths anguish (From Free Press Series)

Sister's quarry deaths anguish

THE sister of one of the four men who died in an horrific crash when a car plunged into a quarry says it could be months before the families find out how the accident happened.

Wendy Taylor's 29-year-old brother Shane Powell died with three others when the car they were in plunged 100ft into the quarry at Swffryd.

The accident in the afternoon of October 20 also killed 21-year-old Karl Devlin, 19-year-old Alex Williams, both from Malpas, and the disabled driver Jack Magee, 47, from Aberbeeg.

She says it could now be up to three months before the police complete their investigation into the crash and the families finally find out how their loved ones died.

Mrs Taylor, 43, said: "We have been told it could be about three months for the investigation to finish because of all the tests about how the accident occurred.

"We are hoping to get to the end of the investigation so we can put our minds at rest.

"We all want to know what really happened.

"It is still very painful and we are still trying to come to terms with what happened. We have all been devastated by it."

Police continue to investigate the cause of the crash and are focusing their attention on the specially adapted controls of the BMW that allowed paraplegic Jack Magee to drive it.

The people of Swffryd have called for strengthened crash barriers to be installed along the road where the four died to prevent another tragedy.

Gwent coroner David Bowen has opened and adjourned an inquest into the deaths. The BMW was winched up from Monk's Quarry after the accident.