Dad's plea after Facebook scrolling lorry driver killed son, 14 (2024)

Joe Cairns died when HGV driver James Majury ploughed into a school minibus

A heartbroken dad whose son was killed by a lorry driver scrolling through Facebook is urging motorists not to use their phones at the wheel. Andy O'Dell's son, 14 year old Joe Cairns, was killed in January 2019 when HGV driver James Majury crashed into a school minibus on the M58 in Lancashire.

Support worker Anne Kerr, 50, also died in the collision that left five others injured. Majury, who had been using his phone throughout his journey, was jailed for eight years and 10 months for causing death by dangerous driving, and a further two years and eight months for causing serious injury by dangerous driving.

Andy, 55, says his son's death was "totally preventable" and is now pleading with motorists to "think twice" before using their phones while driving. The dad-of-three said: "I lost my whole world because of James Majury's selfish actions. 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, a support worker from Bury, Lancashire, described Joe as "a cheeky chappy" who loved telling jokes. Joe, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 10, was said to be coming to terms with his neurodiversity and was settling in well at Pontville School in Ormskirk, Lancashire.

Joe's dream was to become a dog walker - he loved pugs. Andy shared: "He was just starting to get to grips with his autism, and he was excited for the future. All he wanted was to walk his dogs. He loved Doctor Who and Avengers - and that was his life and loves."

Joe was en-route to school on January 8, 2019, when Majury's Mercedes HGV lorry collided into the Vauxhall Vivaro minibus. While operating his lorry, mobile phone records confirmed Majury had been browsing Facebook and fantasy game Hustle Castle in the moments leading up to the collision.

He had also accessed the Sky Sports app, and sent a series of text messages throughout his journey. Preston Crown Court heard he had merely half a second to react before the crash. Reflecting on the day of the accident, Andy said: "Joe's mum phoned me to say that the school had been in touch to tell her that the mini bus 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 received 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."

After the sentencing, Andy was given the chance to meet his son's killer as part of the restorative justice scheme. He's unable to disclose the details of their conversation at Kirkham Prison, but feels he managed to "get the answers he needed".

Andy expressed: "I was really angry after the court case - I thought the sentence was a joke and Joe's killer seemed cold and heartless. 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 later, Joe's family are still grappling with his loss. Andy hopes that by sharing his sorrow, he can help prevent other families from experiencing the same pain. He said: "Learning that Joe's death was totally preventable has been incredibly difficult to process. 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. ".