Grappling with the death of a child is hard enough, without the option to watch their last moments on video. The families of Kyle Careford and Michael Owen, though, have chosen not only to watch—but to ask everyone else to look on as well.
On April 12, 20-year-old Careford and 21-year-old Owen were speeding through the British countryside at 90 miles an hour when they smashed into a church wall and instantly died. They had been recording themselves, singing and laughing, as they drove. Now, their families are releasing that video—which was shown in court last week and captures the moment of their deaths—to the public, in hopes that it can serve as a warning to others.
The driver, Careford, didn’t have a license, and was uninsured to drive the car. Both men were high on a mix of prescription and illegal drugs.
The video footage was found on Owens’ phone.
Owen’s mother offered a somber explanation for releasing the video, reports the Telegraph:
We bring our children up teaching them right from wrong. We guide them and give them our advice and hope they listen, but once they are adults, we hope they make the right choices.
I really don’t know why the boys chose to do what they did, but I blame them both for the decisions they made on this night.
If all this stops one person from making the same mistake, then some good has come from showing this video. I’m hoping it will have an impact on young people and make them see that a bit of fun can have such devastating consequences.
Posted yesterday (Oct. 12), the video has already amassed more than three million views.