Grieving dad's heartbreaking plea to motorists after autistic son tragically killed in M58 horror crash

Andy O'Dell's 14-year-old son, Joe Cairns, lost his life when an HGV driven by James Majury collided with a school minibus on the M58 in Lancashire in January 2019. Majury, who had been using his phone throughout his journey, also claimed the life of 50-year-old support worker Anne Kerr and left five others injured.

He was sentenced to eight years and ten months in prison for causing death by dangerous driving, along with an additional two years and eight months for causing serious injury.

Andy, a 55-year-old father of three from Bury, Lancashire, is now speaking out, saying his son's death was "totally preventable". and urges other motorists to "think twice" before using their phones while driving. "I lost my whole world because of James Majury's selfish actions," Andy said.

"If he'd been paying attention while behind the wheel, Joe would still be here today. But he was robbed of a future, and we were robbed of the memories that we should have been able to make with our boy."

Andy fondly remembered his son as a "cheeky chappy" who had a love for telling jokes. Diagnosed with autism at the age of 10, Joe had been settling in well at his new school, Pontville School in Ormskirk, Lancashire, and was starting to embrace his neurodiversity. Joe had a passion for pugs and dreamed of becoming a dog walker.

"He was just starting to get to grips with his autism, and he was excited for the future," Andy shared. "All he wanted was to walk his dogs. He loved Doctor Who and the Avengers - that was his life he loved."

On January 8, 2019, Joe was on his way to school when Majury's Mercedes HGV truck crashed into the Vauxhall Vivaro minibus he was in. Mobile phone records later revealed that Majury had been looking at Facebook and playing the fantasy game Hustle Castle just moments before the collision.

He had also been using the Sky Sports app and sending a series of text messages throughout his journey. Preston Crown Court heard that Majury had just half a second to react before the crash.

Reflecting on that devastating day, Andy recalled: "Joe's mum phoned me to say that the school had been in touch to tell her that the minibus was late and they would keep us informed. I didn't worry, I thought they would be stuck in traffic.

“Then a couple of hours later, I got a phone call from the person who became my family liaison officer, and he said he needed to come and see me. I thought Joe might have been in an accident and that he had broken his leg or arm. He came to the door, and I knew Joe was dead; he didn't need to tell me as I could see it in his face. It was soul-destroying, it was devastation."

Following the court case, Andy was given the opportunity to meet his son's killer through a restorative justice scheme. While he is unable to disclose the details of their conversation at Kirkham Prison, Andy said that the meeting allowed him to "get the answers he needed."

"I was really angry after the court case - I thought the sentence was a joke and Joe's killer seemed cold and heartless," Andy admitted. "I wasn't sure if I wanted to meet him at first, but decided to go and was shocked at how helpful I found it. It helped to see how remorseful he really was."

Five years on, Joe's family continues to grapple with the loss. Andy hopes that by sharing their story, they can prevent other families from enduring the same heartache. "Learning that Joe's death was totally preventable has been incredibly difficult to process,” he said.

“I'm still coming to terms with the loss of my son. We do all we can to remember him - his school made a gold pug trophy in his memory, and each year the pug goes to a student who has overcome adversity. Joe loved KitKats, and every Friday if he was good, his school would give him a KitKat as a reward. They used to call it 'KitKat Friday,' and now I treat myself to one at the end of the week, and it makes me feel close to my son.

"I really hope that Joe's story will make people think twice about using their phone while driving. So much devastation has been left from something that could have so easily been avoided."