The heartbroken best friend of a young man who tragically died in a crash at a petrol station in Swansea has relived the tragic moment she learned of his death, as she has revealed how she and his family have launched a project to make sure his memory lives long into the future.
Ben Rogers, together with Kaitlyn Davies, both 19, died when the car they were travelling in crashed into Northway Petrol station in Bishopston, Swansea, late in the evening of Tuesday, May 31, 2022. Two other people travelling in the car, a 17-year-old girl and 17-year-old boy, were rushed to hospital for emergency care.
One of his best friends, Abigail Holly, was in Birmingham visiting a friend when she saw notifications on social media which made her heart sink. Get Swansea stories straight to your inbox with our newsletter.
READ MORE: Tributes paid to teenage boy and girl killed in Swansea crash
The 20-year-old, from the St Thomas area of Swansea said: "I was in Birmingham visiting a friend of mine, I had only been there 24 hours and I woke up around 10am to see loads of posts on Facebook about a fatal crash down in Bishopston. I could see people commenting 'RIP Ben' etc but never did I think it would be my Ben. Another 30 minutes went by before I saw his sister Ashleigh’s post announcing he had died in the crash. I remember just falling to the floor and sobbing. My legs completely gave up as soon as I saw the news. I tried to ring his number trying to convince myself it wasn’t my Ben. I rang my mum and just yelled through the sobs 'Ben's dead. Ben's dead.'
"My dad drove four hours just to come and get me because I just wanted to be back in Swansea and was in no fit state to get the coach back. His family have of course been devastated by the whole ordeal, I stay in contact a lot with Ben's parents and his oldest sister, we still talk about Ben daily and I think it’s really helped us all lean on each other along with the hundreds of others who have also been affected by Ben's death."
Miss Holly explained how she had known Mr Rogers for just over eight years, after they attended school together. She said: When we were younger we would argue like cat and dog but the older we got he truly became my rock and we’d text daily and often spend hours on FaceTime to each other. One of my favourite memories of Ben is one of the last times I saw him, I went over to his flat and we were going to have a chill day, watch films and nip to the local cafe for some brunch. He made me walk for a solid 45 minutes all around Landore and Manselton looking for a cafe that was open because it was a bank holiday and we both didn’t realise.
"We finally found somewhere and he ordered the biggest breakfast possible and completely demolished it! He loved his food but never gained an ounce of weight, I was pretty jealous of how he did it. We then went back to his flat just before it started raining and watched Frozen and the life of PI where he made me google every inch of the film because neither of us understood what was going on. I still laugh when I think back to that day."
She explained how a couple of days after her friend passed away, she spoke to his family about doing something to remember him. She said: "A day or two after Ben passed, I messaged his mum and said something along the lines of how everyone should take a leaf out of Ben's book and 'Be More Ben' and since then it’s really stuck. So many people now say 'Be More Ben' when remembering him or discussing his life. Ben was so so compassionate and such a gentleman. He would give the shirt off his back to someone less fortunate and if he saw someone looking upset he would chat with them for ages making sure that by the time he said goodbye to them they were back smiling.
"He had a heart of gold with the most infectious smile and laugh. Ben lit up every room he entered and was almost like a little celebrity in Swansea! I didn’t realise how popular he was until he passed and now it seems everyone has a story to share about him. I still get tearful talking about him but he was just amazing, a true gentle giant.
"We've created an Instagram page in his memory, and the reaction so far has been amazing, so many people have sent in stories, photos, videos and memories of Ben, we can’t thank everyone enough for the love they have shown to the Instagram account already. We hit 200 followers in about 36 hours with Paige Thorne from Love Island even liking Ben's photo! It’s been really heart warming to see so many people share the account to help us get Ben's name and face out there and to help us keep his name alive.
"For us, the best outcome really is just for as many people as possible to know who Ben is, to see how amazing he was and for people to 'Be More Ben'. This account will continue to share memories of Ben's life." If you would like to follow the Instagram page, you can do so by clicking here.
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