Margaret Berry is the first family member to speak out after the horror smash, in which her son and four other boys, were in a car travelling in the wrong direction.
The heartbroken mum of one of the five teens who were killed in a horror crash in Ireland has apologised to the innocent family hurt – and said she wishes her son had never got into the car.
Margaret Berry is the first family member to speak out after the horror smash, in which her son and four other boys died while travelling in the wrong direction on a motorway. Their BMW ploughed into an innocent family, who were left fighting for their lives.
The 36-year-old lost her son, 18-year-old Jeremy O’Brien in the incident, who died alongside his pals Joey Carthy, 15, Alex McCarthy, 16, and Jack Kennedy, and Kamil Pustkowski, both 17.
Speaking to the Irish Sun, she told of her sorrow for innocent crash victims Niamh and Alma Kinsella, both in their 30s, younger sister Ella Hendricken, in her 20s, and Alma’s seven-year-old son Yemi.
And she apologised to the family, who continue to fight for their lives in hospital. She said: “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.”
Margaret, who will bury her son on Monday, added: “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.
“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.
“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.”
Margaret added: “I don’t know if my son was driving the car that night and they made a catastrophic decision to drive down the motorway in the wrong direction.
“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.
“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.
“The thing just doesn’t make any sense to me — we will never know why they drove down the wrong way on the M9. This whole week has been just so painful.”
The family all remain in a serious condition after the BMW car containing the five teenagers ploughed head-on into them as they made their way to Dublin Airport. A GoFundMe page has been started for the family which has raised more than £500,00.
But that does not stop the mother from mourning her own child. She added: “I had to identify my son’s body and it was a horrendous experience for any mother to do. My faith, family and friends will get me through this nightmare.
“I would be lost without the people who have supported me over the past week. I have to keep surviving for my other children.”
The mum also urged the wider public to show “compassion” after the loss of five young lives. She added: “People are saying they should roast in hell but they aren’t paedophiles or rapists.
“They made a terrible mistake and it has had devastating consequences for so many families There is a lot of hearsay out there and it’s just wrong. Some of the comments have been disgusting and it is only because we are a proud Traveller family.
“There is not one person on earth who hasn’t made a mistake in their lives and I hope people can try and understand that it was a terrible mistake that led to this suffering.
“I loved my son with all my heart and I will never forget him. My son will now rest in heavenly peace.”
The Garda investigation into the crash is continuing. Detectives are examining CCTV and have urged witnesses to come forward.