Co Tyrone mum hits out at six year wait for inquest after son’s motorway crash death

The mum of a man killed on the M1 motorway[1] almost seven years ago said the wait for an inquest into her son's death has had a major impact on her physical and mental health. There have now been five preliminary hearings ahead of the inquest into 22-year-old Darryl Thompson's death, which will look at establishing the events that led up to the fatality. On a Saturday night in November 2018, the Beragh[2] man was travelling in a car with others, when an altercation broke out.

The driver pulled over and the occupants got out, soon after which Darryl was struck and killed by a car on the westbound lane of the motorway between junctions 13 and 14, near Tamnamore[3]. One man was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter[4] in the days after the incident, but was later released.

Soon after Darryl's death, his mum, Edwina Thompson-Clarke was told by police it would take three years before the legal side of the case would come to an end.

Almost seven years later, she continues to wait for an official inquest date, with hopes it could begin in March. Speaking to Belfast Live[7] about the night of her son's death, Edwina said: "It was close to 11pm on a Saturday night, and my husband and I had just sat down to watch TV. I could see the lights of a car coming down beside the house.

"My daughter, Katie, ran in and she was really scared and panicking. Somebody had told her Darryl had been in an accident. "It was around 11.30pm by this stage, and we headed up the motorway.

We drove right up as far as we could, to where the motorway was closed on both sides. You couldn't see the accident from where we were. "I told the policeman[8] my son had been involved in the accident.

We were told to wait where we were, and stayed there for over two hours. Eventually, they came down and said Darryl was no longer with us."

Edwina added: "My heart hit my stomach really hard. I wanted to be with him.

We were allowed to go up and see him, and spent time with him. It was horrific - but he was so beautiful. I was just praying his face was safe because he was gorgeous, and his wee face was saved."

Describing the delays to an inquest into her son's death as "very disappointing", Edwina said the wait has negatively impacted her mental[9] and physical health. She said the inquest was due to take place in February, but has since been pushed back to March, with no date decided on yet. "I thought 'it'll be in February, that's it, and then it's all going to be over, we've waited so long for this.' It was going to be two days, but we've been told that's not long enough for the inquest, they need a week to make sure it's all properly looked into," Edwina explained.

"For Darryl's inquest, the last thing I want is that it's rushed, I want to try and really get answers. I just have to wait and see, and as far as I can tell, nothing's guaranteed, every time I get a date it's put back. "My anxiety is so bad, the stress - I worry about everything.

The anxiety is like a fear of fear, it's nearly like a fear that's built into me now. You're always worried something else is going to happen. "My physical health has really been impacted, I now have fibromyalgia and different things related to stress, I'm not sleeping.

I'm physically and mentally exhausted; grief is so heavy, it's such a weight, and you carry that all the time."

An additonal stressor has been the inquest costs, which Edwina said she was not aware of. She added her application for legal aid was rejected as it is only granted in the coroner's court in exceptional circumstances. As a result, she has been forced to begin a fundraising page[10] in an attempt to secure these legal fees.

Edwina said: "I never knew I was going to have to pay anything for the inquest. "Now that it could take up to five days, the cost is just going to rise too. For two days in the coroner's court, I was told it would be GBP10,000, and I have 14 days from the inquest to have that paid.

I applied for legal aid but was turned down, with the reason being not enough public interest." Remembering her son ahead of what would have been his 29th birthday on February 9, Edwina added: "Darryl was one of the kindest, loving and loveable, friendly true characters you could meet. He was always smiling and pleasant, he drew people to him because of his fun loving character.

"He was a very popular lad, was so honest, and was always ready to lend a hand whether he knew you or not. He loved life so much." You can donate to the fundraiser for legal fees by clicking here.[11]

Join our Belfast Live breaking news service on WhatsApp

Click this link[12] or scan the QR code to receive breaking news and top stories from Belfast Live.

We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice[13].

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here[14] and sign up to our daily newsletter[15] here.

References

1. ^ M1 motorway (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
2. ^ Beragh (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
3. ^ Tamnamore (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
4. ^ arrested on suspicion of manslaughter (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
5. ^ Man arrested on suspicion of manslaughter following M1 motorway death (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
6. ^ Family of Tiernan Rooney raise concerns over investigation into his death (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
7. ^ Belfast Live (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
8. ^ policeman (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
9. ^ mental (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
10. ^ fundraising page (www.gofundme.com)
11. ^ clicking here. (www.gofundme.com)
12. ^ Click this link (chat.whatsapp.com)
13. ^ Privacy Notice (www.reachplc.com)
14. ^ here (www.belfastlive.co.uk)
15. ^ sign up to our daily newsletter (www.belfastlive.co.uk)