‘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, one of five teenagers killed in the devastating M9 wrong-way crash, has made a fresh apology to the family seriously injured in the collision, saying her son made a “catastrophic decision” that changed many lives forever.

Margaret Berry said the weeks since the August 16 crash had been the “worst period” of her life as she continues to grieve for her son.

Jeremy was among five teenagers who died after a BMW travelled in the wrong direction on the M9 motorway in County Kildare and collided head-on with another vehicle at around 3 a.m. on August 16.

The crash also left Ella Hendricken, Niamh Kinsella, Alma Kinsella and Alma’s seven-year-old son Yemi seriously injured.

MOTHER APOLOGISES TO INJURED FAMILY

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

She asked local priest Fr Tom Little to pass on her apology to the family.

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

Fr Little subsequently confirmed that he had met the Kinsella family and delivered the apology on Margaret’s behalf.

He said Margaret was genuinely remorseful and continued to pray for the family.

The priest also acknowledged the profound effect the crash had had on those involved, saying the lives of the injured family had been permanently changed.

‘MY SON WASN’T AN EVIL PERSON’

Margaret said she did not want her son to be remembered solely for the circumstances of the crash.

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

She said she would give anything to have Jeremy alive and visiting him in hospital rather than visiting his grave.

“Every time I visit his grave I just crumble,” she said.

Jeremy died alongside Joey Carthy, 15, Alex McCarthy, 16, Jack Kennedy, 17, and Kamil Pustkowski, 17. All five had been travelling in the BMW.

The tragedy has left the families of both the teenagers and those travelling in the other vehicle dealing with devastating consequences.

FAMILY RECEIVED ONLINE ABUSE

Margaret also spoke about abusive messages she and other grieving families have received online following the crash.

She said some strangers had sent deeply distressing messages about Jeremy and told her that he would “go to hell.”

Margaret said the messages were particularly painful because she was already dealing with the loss of her son.

She questioned how people could show such hostility toward families who were grieving.

Fr Little also condemned the messages, describing them as unacceptable and saying grieving families should not be subjected to further suffering.

BMW HAD BEEN BOUGHT BY JEREMY

A further detail emerged when Margaret said Gardaí had informed her that the BMW involved in the collision had been bought by Jeremy.

She said she had not known that her son owned the vehicle and had never seen it before the crash.

According to the report, Gardaí believe the vehicle may have been intended as a “runaround” for the teenagers.

The car had also been linked to three attempted break-ins involving vehicles in Athy before the fatal collision, according to The Irish Sun. These allegations form part of the wider Garda investigation and do not mean Jeremy was personally responsible for those incidents.

Margaret said she wished she had known about the BMW and believed she would have told her son to get rid of it.

She also said she still did not know exactly why the teenagers drove onto the motorway in the wrong direction.

MOTHER WARNS OTHER YOUNG DRIVERS

Margaret has now urged young people to think carefully before getting behind the wheel and making dangerous decisions.

She said she did not want another family to experience the devastation that followed the crash.

“Life has been on hold for this last month,” she said, adding that the family was already dreading Christmas because Jeremy had loved the holiday season.

Her message was directed particularly at young drivers who might believe they are “untouchable” behind the wheel.

FIOSRÚ FINDS GARDAÍ ACTED WITHIN THE LAW

The fresh comments from Jeremy’s mother come as an independent investigation into the Garda response before the crash has reached a conclusion.

On September 18, 2026, Fiosrú, Ireland’s police oversight body, said Gardaí who followed the BMW before the fatal collision acted in accordance with the law and relevant Garda policies and procedures.

Fiosrú said Gardaí had pursued the BMW after encountering it in Athy. Permission to continue the pursuit was granted by the Garda Control Room.

However, after the BMW entered the M9 motorway 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 stopping device at an appropriate location, but the BMW made several U-turns before eventually colliding with an oncoming vehicle.

Fiosrú said its investigators reviewed CCTV footage, radio transmissions and information from a forensic collision investigator before reaching its conclusion.

The finding concerns whether Gardaí acted lawfully and in accordance with relevant policies. It does not determine the circumstances behind the teenagers’ decision to drive the BMW in the wrong direction.

TWO FAMILIES LEFT TO RECOVER

The Kinsella family has continued to recover from their injuries.

In a recent update, the family said they were “getting stronger as the days go by” and taking their recovery “one day at a time.” A public fundraiser set up to support them has received hundreds of thousands of euros.

For Margaret, however, the consequences of the crash remain deeply personal.

She continues to mourn her son while acknowledging the suffering experienced by the family whose vehicle was struck.

Her message is one of grief, remorse and a warning to other young people: a single decision behind the wheel can leave multiple families dealing with consequences that cannot be undone.