‘MY SON WASN’T EVIL — HE MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE’: MUM OF M9 CRASH TEEN REVEALS NEW BMW DETAILS

The mother of 18-year-old Jeremy O’Brien has spoken about the devastating aftermath of the M9 crash, revealing that her son had bought the BMW involved in the collision — while once again apologising to the family seriously injured in the tragedy.

Margaret Berry said the weeks since her son’s death have been “the worst period” of her life.

Jeremy was one of five teenagers who died when a BMW travelled in the wrong direction on the M9 in Co Kildare in the early hours of August 16.

The BMW collided head-on with a Hyundai carrying three women and a seven-year-old boy.

Jeremy, 18, died alongside Alex McCarthy, 17, Joey Carthy, 15, Jack Kennedy, 17, and Kamil Pustkowski, 17.

The four people in the Hyundai survived but suffered serious injuries.

‘I JUST WANTED THEM TO KNOW HOW SORRY I AM’

Margaret has now issued another apology to the family of Ella Hendricken, Niamh Kinsella, Alma Kinsella and Alma’s seven-year-old son Yemi.

The family was travelling when their car was struck by the BMW.

Margaret said she wanted the injured family to know that she was deeply sorry for what had happened.

She asked local priest Fr Tom Little to pass on her apology, and the priest later confirmed that he had met with the Kinsella family.

Margaret said her son had made a “catastrophic decision” that night and acknowledged the devastating consequences.

She also spoke about the unbearable reality of losing her child.

“I would also give anything to be visiting my son in a hospital bed rather than a graveyard,” she told The Irish Sun.

‘MY SON WASN’T AN EVIL PERSON’

While accepting the seriousness of what happened, Margaret also defended her son’s character.

She said Jeremy was not an evil person and described what happened as a terrible mistake.

Her comments come amid a painful debate surrounding the teenagers who were inside the BMW and the decisions made in the hours before the crash.

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

Some messages targeted her personally and referred to Jeremy’s death in deeply distressing terms.

She said she could not understand why strangers would send such messages to a grieving mother.

Fr Little also condemned the messages, describing them as unacceptable treatment of families who were already devastated by the tragedy.

MOTHER LEARNS HER SON HAD BOUGHT THE BMW

One of the most painful revelations came when Gardaí told Margaret that Jeremy had bought the BMW involved in the crash.

She said she had not known about the purchase.

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

The BMW had also been linked to reports of three attempted car break-ins in the Athy area before the fatal collision.

Margaret said she had never seen the vehicle and wished her son had never bought it.

She later received the vehicle’s logbook in the post.

For her, the document became another painful reminder of the events surrounding her son’s death, and she said she destroyed it.

WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THE CRASH?

The BMW had been travelling in the Athy area before Gardaí encountered it.

According to the independent investigation by Fiosrú, Gardaí followed the vehicle on the N78 for a short period before it entered the M9 travelling against the direction of traffic.

Permission to continue the pursuit had been granted by the Garda Control Room.

However, once the BMW entered the motorway, the Garda vehicle terminated the pursuit, and the Control Room confirmed that the pursuit should not continue.

Other Garda units attempted to position a stopping device at an appropriate location, but the BMW made several U-turns before eventually colliding with the oncoming Hyundai.

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

FIOSRÚ CLEARS GARDAÍ OF WRONGDOING

The latest development came just days before Margaret’s new comments.

On September 18, Fiosrú published its findings following an independent investigation into the actions of Gardaí before the crash.

The oversight body concluded that Gardaí acted in accordance with the law and relevant Garda policies and procedures.

Investigators reviewed CCTV footage, radio transmissions and evidence relating to the decisions made by officers during their interaction with the BMW.

Fiosrú said the Garda referral was mandatory because the incident involved deaths and serious injuries; the referral itself did not mean that Gardaí were suspected of wrongdoing.

FIVE YOUNG LIVES LOST

Jeremy’s funeral took place in Carlow in August, with mourners told that what the teenagers had done was wrong but that the tragedy should not become the entirety of their story.

The crash has left two families facing very different but equally devastating consequences.

Five teenagers died inside the BMW.

Four people travelling in the Hyundai suffered serious injuries.

And the families of everyone involved have been left to live with the consequences of a few catastrophic moments on the motorway.

For Margaret, the grief is complicated by knowing that her son was involved in the decisions that led to the crash.

She has repeatedly expressed sympathy for the family who were travelling innocently on the road that night.

Now, as the independent investigation into Garda actions has concluded, the focus remains on the devastating human consequences of the M9 collision — and the families who must continue living with what happened.

Jeremy O’Brien was 18 years old. His mother says she will continue to remember her son while also praying for the family whose lives were changed forever by the crash.