Mother defends deceased son
The mother of a teenage boy who died in a car crash says her family has experienced bullying and judgement over her son’s death.
Tyson O’Neill died on November 15 last year when he lost control of the car he was driving and crashed into a tree on Cobham Drive, in the Wellington suburb of Kilbirnie.
In a report into his death this month, Coroner Bruce Hesketh said a ‘‘deadly combination’’ of driver inexperience, fatigue, speed, alcohol mixed with cannabis and no seat belt led to his death.
Hesketh observed O’Neill had overcorrected when the vehicle drifted on to the grass median strip while going up to 94kmh in the 70kmh limited section of State Highway 1.
O’Neill was more than twice the adult legal limit for blood alcohol and had smoked cannabis before he and a friend stole a car in Miramar Heights about 4am that morning.
While driving along Cobham Drive, Tyson had drifted towards the grass island, causing his friend to say ‘‘watch out’’.
Tyson reacted by braking and turning the vehicle sharply to the left, causing the car to slide across the westbound lanes towards the footpath, mount the kerb and hit a tree.
His friend attempted to leave the scene and was stopped a short time later by police.
Rachel O’Neill, Tyson’s mother, said her son had ‘‘paid the ultimate price’’ for his mistakes.
‘‘He was a good kid who made a mistake . . . we all do stupid stuff when we are teenagers.
‘‘He was 16 – at that age you don’t think of consequences.’’
O’Neill said her 12-year-old daughter had been teased at school about her brother’s death.
‘‘People saying she doesn’t seem upset at school, so she doesn’t’ love her brother. That’s not true at all.
‘‘I’ve been let down a lot with that kind of stuff. She’s struggling big time. He was a really awesome big brother,’’ she said.
When O’Neill talks about Tyson, her youngest son sobs. The 8-year-old sleeps in his brother’s bed most nights.
The derision from other parents had been hard to take also.
‘‘It’s really hard when people don’t know . . . judge me and give me crap like, ‘how did you not know what he was doing’. I can’t be with him every second of the day, and when you are asleep . . . I can’t have him handcuffed to me.’’
Hesketh’s report said it was not the first time Tyson had been linked to stolen vehicles.
His fingerprints were found inside six other vehicles stolen from Miramar overnight between October 31 and November 15. They had been discovered by police in various stages of damage.
O’Neill said she wasn’t aware of the thefts until she read about them in the coroner’s report. Prior to his death, when he started getting into trouble, she had tried to get him help.
‘‘I don’t want him to be made out as some monster.
‘‘But at the end of the day, he was the one who chose to get into the car and I don’t blame anyone else for that.
‘‘I’m not being naive, but I’m just defending him because he’s not here to speak for himself,’’ she said.
Next month will be the first anniversary of Tyson’s death. In December, he would have turned 18.
Hesketh commended O’Neill on her work with police to spread messaging among teenagers about the dangers of joyriding and drink/drug driving.
‘‘I commend her courage and strength in this regard. Her contribution to preventing youths from suffering the same outcome as her son is a testament to the strength of her character,’’ he said.
O’Neill said helping police with initiatives to help other teenagers was Tyson’s legacy.
‘‘I’m hoping that it just helps even one kid . . . to try and save one kid even. I hope I do,’’ she said.