‘MY SON WASN’T EVIL — HE MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE’: MOTHER OF M9 CRASH VICTIM MAKES FRESH APOLOGY

The mother of 18-year-old Jeremy O’Brien has spoken publicly about the devastating aftermath of the M9 crash, apologising to the family injured in the collision and urging young drivers not to repeat her son’s mistake.

Margaret Berry says the weeks since her son Jeremy O’Brien was killed in the M9 motorway crash have been the most painful period of her life.

The 18-year-old was one of five teenagers who died when a BMW travelled in the wrong direction on the M9 in County Kildare in the early hours of August 16.

The BMW collided head-on with another vehicle carrying four members of a family. Three women and a seven-year-old boy were seriously injured.

Now, more than a month after the tragedy, Margaret has offered another apology to the family who survived the crash.

‘I JUST WANTED THAT FAMILY TO KNOW HOW SORRY I AM’

Speaking to The Irish Sun, Margaret said she wanted the injured family to know how deeply sorry she was for what happened.

She said local priest Father Tom Little had met with the Kinsella family on her behalf and passed on her apology.

“I just wanted to let that family know how sorry I am for this terrible tragedy,” Margaret said.

She added that she would continue to pray for the family and sympathise with them.

Father Little confirmed that he had met the Kinsella family and conveyed Margaret’s apology.

He said the families affected by the crash had been left devastated and that the lives of those injured had changed forever.

‘MY SON MADE A CATASTROPHIC DECISION’

Jeremy was understood to have been driving the BMW carrying the five teenagers.

The other four teenagers who died were Joey Carthy, 15, Alex McCarthy, 17, Jack Kennedy, 17, and Kamil Pustkowski, 17.

Margaret said she did not want the circumstances of the crash to become the only thing remembered about her son.

“My son made a catastrophic decision that night and the consequences have been devastating,” she told The Irish Sun.

She also said that she wished she could still be visiting Jeremy in hospital rather than visiting his grave.

“My son wasn’t an evil person and he made a very, very stupid and terrible mistake,” she said.

At Jeremy’s funeral in August, Father Little similarly told mourners that what the boys had done was wrong, while urging people not to allow the tragedy to become the whole story of their lives.

FAMILY RECEIVES DISTRESSING ONLINE MESSAGES

Margaret also revealed that she has received cruel messages online following her son’s death.

She said some strangers had sent messages attacking Jeremy and his family, despite not knowing them personally.

Margaret said she had already lost her son and questioned why people felt the need to add further pain to a grieving family.

Father Little described the messages as unacceptable, saying families dealing with the deaths of their children should not be subjected to hateful communications.

The issue of online reaction to the crash has also prompted calls for people to be more careful about how they discuss the tragedy.

At Jeremy’s funeral, Bishop Denis Nulty urged people to consider their language and use of social media while remembering both those who died and those who were injured.

NEW DETAILS ABOUT THE BMW

Margaret also revealed that Gardaí recently informed her that the BMW involved in the collision had been bought by Jeremy.

According to the report, officers believe the vehicle may have been intended as a vehicle for the teenagers to use.

The car had also been linked to three attempted break-ins involving other vehicles in Athy before the fatal collision, according to information reported by The Irish Sun.

Margaret said she had never seen the BMW before the crash and did not know where Jeremy had been keeping it.

She told the newspaper that, had she known about the car, she would have told her son to get rid of it.

She also said Jeremy had been easily influenced, but described him as a loving young man.

‘I WISH I HAD KNOWN ABOUT THAT CAR’

Margaret said she continues to struggle with the reality that she will never see her son again.

She described Jeremy as a typical teenager who did not tell his parents everything.

The mother also said she had always encouraged him to wear a seatbelt.

She said she still does not know exactly why the teenagers drove onto the motorway that night or why the BMW travelled against the direction of traffic.

Those questions remain part of the wider investigation.

FIOSRÚ FINDS GARDAÍ ACTED APPROPRIATELY

A separate development came on September 18, when Fiosrú, Ireland’s police oversight body, published the findings of its independent investigation into Garda actions before the crash.

The investigation found that Gardaí who had followed the BMW shortly before it entered the M9 acted in accordance with the law and relevant Garda policies and procedures.

Fiosrú found that Gardaí had been following the BMW on the N78 in Athy for a short period.

Permission to continue the pursuit had initially been granted by the Garda Control Room. However, after the BMW entered the M9 travelling against the direction of traffic, the Garda vehicle terminated the pursuit and the Control Room confirmed that the pursuit should not continue.

Other Garda units attempted to establish a suitable location for a stopping device, but the BMW made a number of U-turns before colliding with the oncoming vehicle.

All five occupants of the BMW died, while four people in the other vehicle were seriously injured.

Fiosrú said its investigation examined CCTV, radio transmissions and evidence from a forensic collision investigator.

The findings concern the actions of Gardaí before the collision and do not determine the wider circumstances surrounding the teenagers’ decision to drive the BMW in the wrong direction.

A MOTHER’S WARNING TO OTHER YOUNG DRIVERS

For Margaret, the tragedy has become a warning she hopes other young people will take seriously.

She urged young drivers to think carefully before getting behind the wheel and making reckless decisions.

She said she would not want another family to experience the pain that hers and the injured family have endured.

The Kinsella family, meanwhile, has continued to recover from their injuries. In a recent statement, the family said they were taking things one day at a time and becoming stronger as the days passed.

More than a month after the crash, five families are mourning young lives lost in the early hours of August 16, while another family continues to face the long road of recovery.

For Margaret, the grief is deeply personal.

She says she will continue to remember her son despite the circumstances surrounding his final night.

And her message to other young people is shaped by the loss she now has to live with:

Think twice before making a decision behind the wheel that cannot be undone.