FAMILY’S AGONY My son died in horror crash but I don’t deserve sympathy – I didn’t even know whether to have a funeral, says brave mum

A BRAVE mum whose son died in a horrific car crash said sympathy for his death is “undeserved”.

Melissa McGuinness told how she wasn’t even sure whether to hold a funeral for her son, Jordan, after he killed four people and himself while drink driving.

2 Jordan was killed in a horrific car crash Credit: Supplied

2 Jordan McGuinness with parents Melissa and Peter Credit: Supplied

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Jordan was driving over the alcohol and speed limit on his way home to the Gold Coast from Brisbane, Australia when he smashed into a broken down car, killing himself and four others.

Melissa said: “He left a little girl orphaned that night.”

The victims have been named as Natasha Alison Maggs, Tiana Marie Williams, Kody Peter Tugaga Holland-Williams and Allan John Sullivan.

In a heartbreaking revelation, Melissa and her husband, Peter, said they believe sympathy should be reserved “solely” for Jordan’s victims and their families.

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Speaking on the I Catch Killers podcast, Melissa bravely said: “He would never have intended to harm anyone that night, the family that he loved the most, let alone his victims and his victim’s family’s, yet he did, through his choice.”

Later, when referring to the devastating moment they heard about the accident, the couple said they were struck with a heavy sense of guilt that outweighed the grief of losing their son.

So much so, they even considered not holding a funeral for their boy who they felt had “lost the right” to a celebration after having killed four innocent people.

Melissa recalled: “I remember sitting with my father in the week that it happened and he was saying, ‘do you want me to help you with some funeral arrangements?’

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“I said, ‘Dad, how do you have a funeral for someone who’s just killed four people?’”

Peter added: “We didn’t have our service for Jordan until after the poor other kids were laid to rest.”

Parents killed & 2 kids gravely hurt in horror crash as son they just dropped off at college watched from different car

But the couple have turned their pain into action, founding You Choose – a campaign empowering teens to make better driving safety choices after their son’s death in 2012.

Touring schools in Australia, the couple have made it their mission to make sure as many teens as possible “learn from the choices Jordan made that night”.

Fuelled by grief, Melissa said the mission is now what drives her.

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She said: “All of my strength comes from that hand on heart”.

And despite initial hesitations, the couple admitted they were pleased to have held a funeral for their son.

Recalling the Sunday before Jordan died, Melissa told how she had bought a black dress he said she looked pretty in.

She said: “I just remember thinking: oh my goodness, did I just get a compliment from my son? So in amongst buying all of his stuff, I bought that black dress.

“It happened to be the same black dress that I wore 19 days later at his funeral.”

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It comes just days after four friends were killed in a horror car crash on their way home from a concert in California.

Two others from another car were injured in the smash and one person was arrested under suspicion of DUI.

Six students died after drowning on a school trip in Egypt.

Emergency services raced to the scene after receiving reports that people were struggling in the water at Abu Talat Beach in Alexandria. Six students were pronounced dead at the scene, while another three students were treated at the beach and 21 were rushed to nearby hospitals, the Mirror reports.

Khaled Abdel Ghaffa, Minister of Health and Population, said that emergency treatment is being provided to the students. The beach has been closed by local officials. Red warning flags have also been raised in the area to warn people about the dangerous conditions and strong currents.

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READ MORE: Warning to UK tourists visiting Canary Islands after ‘dangerous’ sea creature closes beaches

READ MORE: Man dies in workplace accident after suffering ‘serious head injuries’ at funfair

Egypt’s Ministry of Health said it “urges the public to adhere to safety guidelines on beaches”. Now authorities are investigating the tragedy, and examining whether proper safety measures were in place.

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This comes as tourism safety is under particular scrutiny in the North African country. In March six tourists died after a submarine sunk.

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The submarine was carrying 45 tourists and five Egyptian crewmembers when it sank, Red Sea governor Maj. Gen. Amr Hanafi, said in a statement, adding that rescue teams were sent quickly.

He said all six dead were Russians, and that 29 of the 39 tourists rescued were injured and taken to hospitals. No one was still missing from the vessel, he added.

Footage posted by the governor’s office showed Hanafy meeting survivors at the hospital, including two Egyptian crewmembers. One Russian tourist had a small bandage on his head. A family with two young daughters smiled and told him they were OK.

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Survivor Elena Boldareva said the tourist submarine began to dive with his hatches open. People saved themselves as best they could she said, adding: “Some managed to swim out, some didn’t.”

Hurghada is a major destination for divers, snorkelers and other tourists drawn by the Red Sea’s extensive coral reefs.

The submarine, named “Sindbad,” ran tours lasting about 40 minutes underwater, cruising at about 20-25 meters (65-80 feet) underwater with panoramic windows on the bottom to give views of the marine life, according to the website of the company that the Russian consulate identified as running the vessel. The country is heavily reliant on tourism.

The students had gone down to Abu Talat Beach in Alexandria as part of a school trip when they got into trouble in the water off the beach. Officials are still trying to work out what exactly happened

Emergency services rushed to Abu Talat Beach in Alexandria (Image: GOOGLE)

Six students have drowned during a school trip to the beach in Egypt.

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Emergency services rushed to Abu Talat Beach in Alexandria after reports started coming in that there were people struggling in the water.

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A massive rescue effort was launched with 16 ambulances dispatched, the country’s health ministry said.

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Sadly, six students could not be saved and were pronounced dead at the scene. Another three students were treated at the beach and 21 taken to nearby hospitals.

Khaled Abdel Ghaffa, Minister of Health and Population, said that emergency treatment is being provided to the students.

The beach has been closed by local officials. Red warning flags have also been raised in the area to warn people about the dangerous conditions and strong currents.

‌

Egypt’s Ministry of Health said it “urges the public to adhere to safety guidelines on beaches”.

Now authorities are trying to figure out how this could have happened and whether proper safety measures were in place.

This comes as tourism safety is under particular scrutiny in the North African country.

‌

In March six tourists died after a submarine sunk.

The submarine was carrying 45 tourists and five Egyptian crewmembers when it sank, Red Sea governor Maj. Gen. Amr Hanafi, said in a statement, adding that rescue teams were sent quickly.

He said all six dead were Russians, and that 29 of the 39 tourists rescued were injured and taken to hospitals. No one was still missing from the vessel, he added.

‌

Footage posted by the governor’s office showed Hanafy meeting survivors at the hospital, including two Egyptian crewmembers.

One Russian tourist had a small bandage on his head. A family with two young daughters smiled and told him they were OK.

Survivor Elena Boldareva said the tourist submarine began to dive with his hatches open. People saved themselves as best they could she said, adding: “Some managed to swim out, some didn’t.”

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Hurghada is a major destination for divers, snorkelers and other tourists drawn by the Red Sea’s extensive coral reefs.

The submarine, named “Sindbad,” ran tours lasting about 40 minutes underwater, cruising at about 20-25 meters (65-80 feet) underwater with panoramic windows on the bottom to give views of the marine life, according to the website of the company that the Russian consulate identified as running the vessel.

The country is heavily reliant on tourism.

BEACH HORROR Six students drown on school trip to beach in Egypt after ‘struggling in water’ as 24 more injured

AT least six students have reportedly drowned and 24 others have been injured on a school trip to a beach in Egypt.

Paramedics rushed to the beach in Alexandria after receiving reports that students were struggling with the water, the country’s health ministry said.

2 Six students tragically drowned at Abu Talat Beach in Egypt (stock picture) Credit: Alamy

2 The students were pronounced dead at the scene at Abu Talat Beach (pictured) Credit: Google

A large-scale rescue effort was launched with 16 ambulances deployed.

But six students could not be saved and were pronounced dead at the scene at Abu Talat Beach.

Rescuers treated three injured students on the beach – and another 21 were taken to nearby hospitals.

Officials in Alexandria have now ordered the closure of the beach.

Red warning flags have been raised across the area to caution people public against entering the sea due to dangerous wave conditions and strong currents.

Egypt’s Ministry of Health said it “urges the public to adhere to safety guidelines on beaches”.

Khaled Abdel Ghaffa, Minister of Health and Population, said that all emergency treatment is being made available to the students.

An investigation is now underway, and officials are examining whether proper safety measures were in place.

It comes after six people died while 39 were miraculously rescued after the Sindbad pleasure submarine sank off the Egyptian resort city of Hurghada.

The sub was carrying 45 tourists as it made a 40-minute journey to view a reef.

Most of the tourists were Russians, but there were also some from India, Norway and Sweden, officials said. There were also five Egyptians on board.

The passengers were clients of the Biblio Globus company staying at Hurghada’s Sindbad Hotel, which owns the sub and operates the undersea adventure trips.

Twenty-nine were pulled from the shark-infested waters, but nine were injured, including four who have been left fighting for their lives in a critical condition.

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A huge rescue operation was launched after reports of people struggling in the water.

The tragedy occurred at Abu Talat Beach in Alexandria. (Image: Google)

Six students have tragically died after drowning during a school trip to a beach in Egypt.

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Emergency services were alerted to several people in difficulty in the water at Abu Talat Beach in Alexandria.

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16 ambulances were dispatched as a huge rescue operation was launched, according to the country’s health ministry.

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21 students were taken to hospital, and a further three treated on the beach. Sadly, six young people could not be saved and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Khaled Abdel Ghaffa, Egypt’s Minister of Health and Population, said the students were receiving emergency treatment, the Mirror reports.

The beach has since been closed by authorities. Red flags have also been raised in the area as a warning for strong currents and dangerous conditions in the water.

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The health ministry said it “urges the public to adhere to safety guidelines on beaches”.

The circumstances surrounding the tragedy are now under investigation, as well as whether adequate safety measures were in place.

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It comes as the safety of tourists is under scrutiny across the country. In March this year, six tourists died after a submarine sank in the Red Sea.

The Sindbad submarine sank off the coast of Hurghada. (Image: Kelly Collins / SWNS)

The vessel was carrying 45 tourists and five Egyptian crew. Red Sea governor Maj. Gen. Amr Hanafy said in a statement that all six victims were Russian nationals, and 29 of the 39 people rescued were injured and required hospital treatment.

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Survivor Elena Boldareva said the submarine had started diving with its hatches open. She added of people trying to escape: “Some managed to swim out, some didn’t.”

It ran tours underwater, at around 20-25 metres below sea level with panoramic windows on the bottom to view marine life, according to the company identified by the Russian consulate as operating the vessel.