{"id":298671,"date":"2021-05-07T17:45:52","date_gmt":"2021-05-07T07:45:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=298671"},"modified":"2021-05-10T21:53:06","modified_gmt":"2021-05-10T11:53:06","slug":"tragedy-gives-teenagers-a-choice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2021\/05\/07\/tragedy-gives-teenagers-a-choice\/","title":{"rendered":"Tragedy Gives Teenagers A Choice"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Melissa McGuinness spoke of her heartbreak and horror at Kingaroy State High School recently … she was wearing Jordan’s Year 12 jersey tied around her neck<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

May 7, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

In December 2012, a motor vehicle crash on the M1 Motorway between Brisbane and the Gold Coast claimed five young lives and orphaned a 15-month-old toddler.<\/p>\n

Jordan Hayes McGuinness, 18, was the driver of a red Nissan Pulsar which ploughed into the back of a broken down car, causing that vehicle to explode into flames.<\/p>\n

Young parents Natasha and Allan Sullivan, both 20, Kody Williams, 18, and his girlfriend Tiana Williams, 17, all died.<\/p>\n

Only one person survived … 16-year-old Thomas Bayer who managed to climb through the shattered windscreen of the broken down vehicle, suffering horrific burns.<\/p>\n

Year 11 and 12 students at two South Burnett schools were led step-by-step through this tragedy – and its consequences – in a harrowing road safety lecture presented recently by Jordan McGuinness’ mother Melissa.<\/p>\n

Jordan – who had just moved out of home and started an apprenticeship – was drunk, had been smoking marijuana and was speeding when the crash occurred.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Crash investigators estimated Jordan was doing 140km\/h when he hit the stationary vehicle.<\/p>\n

Melissa told southburnett.com.au<\/strong> she wasn’t seeking sympathy; that belonged solely to the victims of her son’s actions and their families.<\/p>\n

And she emphasised Jordan would have gone to jail for a very long time if he had survived the incident.<\/p>\n

“He died in shame, and that’s how he is going to be remembered,” she said.<\/p>\n

“He drunk drove, drug drove, sped and killed four innocent people.”<\/p>\n

Melissa and her husband Peter have tried to turn their grief into a youth road safety campaign, “You Choose”, that they believe connects with young people.<\/p>\n

They hope their story inspires teenagers to know they have a choice: not to drink and drive, not to speed and to take responsibility for their actions.<\/p>\n

Melissa invited her young audience at Kingaroy State High School to imagine she was their mother as she led them through the lead-up to the crash, Jordan’s life beforehand and the flow-on effect the tragedy has had on everyone:\u00a0“How could this happen to my boy?”\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

“Jordan is a relatable person, and we are a relatable family,” Peter told southburnett.com.au<\/strong><\/p>\n

“They can see their family in our family, their mum in Melissa, and their peers in Jordan.”<\/p>\n

Melissa told the students they had the ability to make “good choices”, to uplift each other and protect their families from this sort of grief.<\/p>\n

And she wants adults to consider their attitudes, too.<\/p>\n

“Saying ‘we’ve all done that when were young’ is just not good enough,” she said.<\/p>\n

Melissa said she still missed Jordan “terribly” and she will never know why he chose that night to drive home after a work Christmas party.<\/p>\n

“I hope you never forget how you feel today,” she told the students.<\/p>\n