Margaret Berry, mother of crash victim Jeremy O’Brien, 18, has publicly apologized to the family of three sisters severely injured in the fatal M9 motorway collision in Ireland.
Berry, 47, spoke to the Sun about her grief and remorse following the August 16 crash near Moone, Co Kildare, that killed five teenagers in a BMW driving the wrong way. The sisters — Niamh and Alma Kinsella, and Ella Hendricken — suffered what have been described as catastrophic injuries and remain hospitalized.
The teenagers who died were Jeremy O’Brien, 18, Alex McCarthy, 17, Joey Carthy, 15, Jack Kennedy, 17, and Kamil Pustkowski, 17. The group had been traveling in a black BMW that collided head-on with a Hyundai carrying the sisters and their family, who were en route to Dublin Airport for a wedding in the UK.
“My heart goes out to this poor family and if I could see them I would apologise. I have said prayers for them and I hope to God that they can heal,” Berry said.
She continued: “This tragedy should never have happened. I am not proud of what happened and I don’t condone what they did. I wish my son had never got into that car.”
Berry, who raised her son alone, expressed hope for eventual reconciliation between the grieving families. “I also hope one day that the family who remain in hospital can find some kind of forgiveness some day. I will continue to pray for them,” she said.
She added further context about her son’s intentions that night: “My son and those other boys didn’t set out that night to intentionally hurt people and my heart will always break for everyone who’s involved in this nightmare.”
Berry also addressed the unanswered questions surrounding the crash. “I raised my son on my own and I’ve now lost a part of me for life, and so have the other mothers. I also don’t know why they drove in that manner and I pray that the full investigation can establish the facts and tell us the truth about what happened,” she told the newspaper.
Her final words to the Sun emphasized her enduring concern for the injured sisters. “I know we can’t go back in time, and my son is gone forever, but I will continue to pray to God that the poor family in the hospital can recover,” she said.
In a separate public Facebook post paying tribute to Jeremy, Berry wrote: “Rest in heavenly peace my beautiful son. My bobbles. Things will never ever be the same without you. I can’t believe I am even writing this you took a piece of my heart to heaven with you. I will never ever forget you my little gentleman it was such a privilege to be your mother I am so proud of you.”
In the viral moment that preceded this apology, five teenagers died in the early hours of Sunday, August 16, when their black BMW was driven down the wrong way on the M9 motorway near Moone, Co Kildare, and collided with a Hyundai. The sisters in the other vehicle — Niamh and Alma Kinsella, and Ella Hendricken — were left with catastrophic injuries and remain in hospital. Gardaà had reportedly received reports of the teenagers allegedly attempting to break into homes and cars in the Athy area earlier that night, and officers in a patrol car had requested the BMW to stop around 2am, but the car sped away and entered the motorway going the wrong direction. The Garda SÃochána did not pursue the vehicle onto the motorway due to guidance on the risk of a head-on collision.
A fundraiser for the injured sisters’ family has exceeded €700,000 (£599,000), with organizers stating that the priority is to give the three sisters and those closest to them the privacy and space they need.
An investigation into the collision and the events leading up to the crash remains underway.