Mum of teen killed in wrong-way Ireland M9 crash apologises to family left in hospital
Jack Kennedy, 17, was one of the five teenagers who died in a wrong-way driving motorway crash in Co Kildare earlier this month
The mother of one of the teenagers who was killed in a wrong-way crash on the M9 in Ireland has apologised to the families injured in the incident.
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Five teenage boys died in the fatal crash, which involved a car driving in the wrong direction on a motorway in Co Kildare, Irish police confirmed.
Two vehicles were involved in the head-on collision near junction 3 on the northbound M9, at about 3 am on Sunday.
The funeral for 17-year-old Jack Kennedy was held on Wednesday morning, where an emotional appeal was made for his friends and other young people to stop participating in the dangerous-driving trend.
Jack's mother Sarah told mourners at the service in St Michael's Church in Athy, Co Kildare that five teenagers "made a bad choice" and paid the "ultimate price".
"We as a family want to send our deepest condolences to Joey, Alex, Jeremy and Kamil’s families,” she said.
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“Five young boys made a bad choice. Five young boys paid the ultimate price. Five families lost their babies. Five families got a life sentence. May all rest in peace.
"Secondly, we all want to send our deepest, heartfelt apologies to the families who were injured. You are all in our thoughts and our prayers. We pray to God that you all make a full recovery. And once again, we are sorry."
"We, as a family, would like to thank our families, friends, neighbours, and even strangers for your kindness, empathy, support, and love,” she went on.
"Thank you so, so much. I will be ever grateful. Lastly, this is to my little soldier, Jack. I will never forget your kindness, your smile, your love, your handsomeness, and your funniness. You were my world, and you still are."
Gardaí confirmed on Sunday evening that the bodies of the five teenage males had been removed from the scene and taken to Naas General Hospital, where post-mortem examinations will take place.
The occupants of the second vehicle involved in the crash, three women, two in their 30s, one in her 20s, and a male child, all remain in hospital continuing to receive treatment for serious injuries.
Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly described the collision as “horrific” and said that “in some cases” vehicles were being driven on the wrong side of motorways for social media likes.
Emergency services were alerted to a vehicle travelling southbound on the M9 northbound carriageway between junctions 3 and 4 when it collided head-on with another car.
A Gardaí spokesman said earlier the female driver and front-seat passenger, both aged in their 30s, of the second car had been taken to Tallaght University Hospital, where they remained in critical condition.
A female rear-seat passenger, aged in her 20s, was taken to St Luke’s General Hospital and is in a serious condition, and a third passenger, a child, has been taken to the Children’s Health Ireland at Crumlin in a serious condition.
The M9 from junction 3 to junction 4 northbound and southbound were closed earlier, but are expected to reopen shortly.
Mr Kelly said: “My thoughts are with those injured in this morning’s collision on the M9.
“These family members were travelling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway.
“This horrific incident, following the recent collision on the M50, shows how irresponsible and dangerous driving on the wrong side of the motorway is.
“That, of course, should be self-evident, but what makes this reckless behaviour even more appalling is that in some cases it is being done for social media likes, regardless of the potentially devastating impact it might have on innocent people and themselves.
“As this particular incident has been referred to Fiosrú, the Police Ombudsman, I am constrained in what I can say in detail about this incident, but I know that gardaí do what they can to stop such vehicles while also taking into consideration all other road users.
“Gardaí are put in a really challenging situation dealing with such incidents.
“As always, An Garda Síochána will fully co-operate with the Police Ombudsman investigation which I hope is completed as expeditiously as possible.”
Gardaí are appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the collision to come forward.
A statement from Fiosrú, the Office of the Police Ombudsman, said: “The referral was made following a fatal road traffic incident on the M9.
“One of Fiosrú’s on-call team of investigators attended the scene and its independent investigation is ongoing.
"In line with its statutory remit, Fiosrú’s investigation relates to incidents involving contact with gardaí where a member of the public has died or been seriously injured.”
The statement clarified that referral does not necessarily mean a garda or gardaí have been accused of wrongdoing but instead "means that Fiosrú should independently investigate the incident to ascertain whether or not the act or omission of a garda or gardaí may have resulted in the death of, or serious harm to, a person".
It concluded by adding that as the matter is now under investigation, they are unable to make further comment.