Harvey Owen's mum makes heartbreaking plea after son and friends found dead in car

Daily Mirror

15 hours ago

Crystal Owen spoke to Adil Ray and Kate Garraway on Wednesday morning's Good Morning Britain, as she made an emotional plea to the government two years after her son's tragic death
Crystal Owen's world turned upside down last year, when she learned her 17-year-old son Harvey and three friends had died in a car accident. Today, she made a plea to the government in Good Morning Britain, in hopes they can make changes to stop others going through the same heartbreak.
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After two days of desperate searching, Crystal received the devastating news that her son and his three friends died on a camping trip when their car came off the road in rural North Wales. An inquest later confirmed that all four boys had drowned.
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Now, the heartbroken mother is calling for the government to rethink their laws for younger drivers – campaigning for stricter new laws and graduated driving licenses to be introduced in the UK.
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Speaking to hosts Adil Ray and Kate Garraway, Crystal said: "The government are not protecting young drivers and other road users and passengers.
"At the moment, they're talking about making things safer for older drivers over 70. When in fact, younger drivers, a newly qualified driver, is three and a half times more likely to kill or seriously injure someone on the roads than someone over 70."
Crystal wasn't aware of Harvey's new pal Hugo, who was driving the group to a camping trip after passing his test six months earlier. She was aware the boys were staying at a friend's grandad's house – but had no idea they planned to go camping.
"As a parent, I was not able to keep him safe on that day, because the biggest risk to younger people is getting into a car with their friends," she said.
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The coroner ruled that the crash was down to the actions of the driver – but no drink or drugs were involved. The coroner also said that the graduated license would have prevented this. However, these are still not in place in the UK, which Crystal will continue to campaign for.
Graduated driver licenses would put a set of restrictions on new drivers who have recently passed their practical test for an initial period of time.
Although Crystal has got debates going in parliament, as for now, the UK government say they have no plans to introduce these kind of licenses at the moment.
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In a heartbreaking chat with the Mirror last year, Crystal revealed that Harvey's blue checked pyjama trousers had been at the end of her bed since the day he died.
They are particularly precious to Crystal because they remind her of his last night at home in Shrewsbury, Shrops.
Hugo Morris, 18, Wilf Fitchett, 17, and Jevon Hirst, 16, also tragically died in the accident.