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'My baby died in a crash and her funeral was the day before my mother's'

Anna Lewis
BBC Wales
Family handout A photograph of mum Gwen, dad Rob and baby Mabli is tied to a tree. The mum and dad are smiling at the camera holding baby Mabli together in their arms, with the sea in the background. Family handout
Robert Hall says his family are in survival mode "every single day"

A grieving father has told how he had to attend the funeral of his mother the day after burying his baby daughter, who died following a crash.

Robert Hall was visiting his dying mother in hospital with his family when a pushchair with his eight-month-old daughter Mabli Cariad Hall inside was hit by a car.

Mabli died in Bristol from a severe traumatic brain injury four days after the crash outside Withybush Hospital, Pembrokeshire, on 21 June 2023.

"I'm sitting in a hospital room in Bristol, next to my baby daughter who was fighting for her life and mourning the death of my mother. I don't have the words to describe that situation," said Mr Hall.

Bridget Curtis, 71, admitted causing the death of Mabli by dangerous driving and was jailed for four years last month.

Speaking following the court case, Mr Hall said his mother had been diagnosed with motor neurone disease and was in the final hours of her life when the crash took place in the hospital grounds.

Swansea Crown Court heard how Curtis had tried to "look for a handbag on the rear seat" while still controlling the car's pedals when she lost control of the BMW.

Mr Hall, who was also hit by the car, said: "The next thing I remember is somebody walking past me holding Mabli's lifeless body. I'll never be able to explain what that felt like."

Family photo Baby Mabli looks at the camera. She has short dark hair and is wearing a pink sweatshirt. She is resting against a pillow with black and grey geometric designs on, and is sitting on a grey sofa. Family photo
Mabli's siblings came to say goodbye to her before her death

Mabli was airlifted to University Hospital of Wales in Cardiff while her parents made the 100-mile journey in the back of a police car to be by her side, before she was eventually transferred to Bristol.

"There are no words to describe those hours," Mr Hall told WalesOnline.

"I was injured and had to go for a head scan, and we had to sit in a small room for all this time, waiting, not being able to be with Mabli. This wait was the longest time my wife had ever been away from Mabli. Ever."

While Mabli was in hospital in Bristol, Mr Hall received a phone call to say his mother had died.

It was at this point that Mr Hall and his wife Gwen were told "the Mabli they knew had gone".

Mabli's siblings were able to visit their sister to say goodbye, after they were shown a picture of the baby inside the hospital room to prepare them.

"Gwen's sister-in-law was in labour that day and was due to give birth any minute, so we pleaded with the doctors not to switch the machines off yet because we did not want Mabli's cousin's birthday to be forever associated with Mabli's death," Mr Hall said.

Bridget Curtis outside court. She is wearing a dark blazer with a white shirt and has shoulder length blonde hair. She has a walking stick in one hand and can be seen in front of a set of three steps.
Bridget Curtis was jailed for four years after pleading guilty to death by dangerous driving

After her death, Mabli's parents visited her every day until her funeral, which took place one day before the funeral of her grandmother.

"It's just another part of this story that you couldn't write," Mr Hall said.

"The pain of that, the trauma of it all, is actually too much to process, to even begin to describe."

Following Mabli's death, Mr Hall described the 19-month wait for Curtis to be sentenced in court as a "nightmare".

He said the family were "grateful to the judge for giving us justice", but added: "We are in survival mode every single day. You can't see what the future is.

"We are all lost without Mabli but we're supporting our other children and getting them through it all."