Extracts of a letter given to 91Èȱ¬ Hereford and Worcester by a mum who lost her child in a car accident Until then [October 23rd 1998] I'd been the mother of two teenage children, Emma 18 years old and Paul 16. I worked part-time in a pub; Tim, my husband, was, and still is, a roof tiler. That evening, Paul, myself and Tim had gone to Worcester for an evening out, which is approx. eight miles from where we live, each of us with our own friends. Emma was to pick myself and Paul up at 11.50; Tim would be home later by taxi. Earlier that evening, Emma had told me not to be late. My last words to her were 'I promise I won't be late, see you later.' Paul and I waited. Within 10 mins I rang my mum, knowing if there was a problem Emma would ring her. It was then we found out her car had broken down. | "I never realised the true meaning of fear until that night. I felt physically sick that we might not see Emma again" | | Sarah Greathead |
A friend had offered her a lift to come and pick us up. She made two phone calls to her Nan letting her know the situation. Thinking she was on her way, Paul and I waited; she never came. I hadn't known what to do, this wasn't like Emma. As the time went on I became more and more worried. In the end we came home by taxi. It was then we found out there had been a terrible crash, reports of people dead, all sorts. I never realised the true meaning of fear until that night. I felt physically sick that we might not see Emma again. That fear came true. She died in a crash; my child was thrown around like a ragdoll, seatbelt or not, which we know she would have been wearing, made no difference. The car then became a fireball. We said our goodbyes to our beautiful Emma with a closed coffin. Dental records were used to identify her. Hundreds, young and all, came to the funeral. So many were affected by her death.
 | | A photo of Emma |
As for ourselves, I can't even begin to explain the mental confusion, the physical pain and emptiness of our life. Time makes no difference when you lose your child; your hopes and dreams are gone, you never escape their death. Emma would not have been happy with the situation she found herself in. She was a bright, beautiful 18 year old. We have all missed out on so much. Responsibility and reliability, that was our Em, clean living, hard working, she loved children and animals, her loyalty to everyone was tremendous, her personality together with her lovely smile and infectious laughter would light up a room. Three other people died that night with Emma; part of me also died along with her. Far too many young people die on our roads each year. It's so easy to stop this from happening - just slow down. Life is a gift, Emma was our very special gift. Like all our children, they are our future. So please remember my story - speed really does kill and leaves families with a sentence.
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