Mourners came together in Co Tipperary on Saturday morning to say their final goodbyes to a teenager who was tragically killed in a road traffic collision last weekend.
Callum Hutchinson, 16, from Borrisokane, died following a two-vehicle crash in Co Antrim last Sunday, reports The Mirror.
Emergency services attended the scene on the Belfast Road in Antrim shortly before 8am on Sunday, April 26, after a collision involving a black Volkswagen Golf and a silver Volkswagen Passat.
Callum, who had been travelling as a passenger in the Passat, was pronounced dead at the scene. Two other individuals were injured, including Christopher Faulkner, the 10-year-old cousin of the late Scarlett Faulkner, who remains in critical condition. The driver sustained minor injuries, reports The Mirror.
Callum’s funeral took place at SS Peter and Paul’s Church in Borrisokane on Saturday, where mourners wore blue t-shirts in tribute to the young teen.
At the beginning of the mass, three of Callum’s close friends placed jerseys on his coffin, each signed by his classmates from the Community College in Borrisokane, reports The Mirror.
During his homily, parish priest Fr Tom O’Hallonan told Callum’s family that “our hearts go out to all of you today”. “What I have heard from the entire community here in Borrisokane is a deep sense of sorrow for all of you,” he said.
“The overwhelming feeling is one of heartbreak for your family, and I know you are truly grateful for the immense support and sympathy being shown.”
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Fr O’Hallonan added: “You have managed to get through this incredibly difficult week and you have handled it with strength. You should recognise that you have coped remarkably well in such heartbreaking circumstances.
“Your grief has been even heavier due to recent tragedy within your family,”, reports The Mirror.
Fr O’Hallonan also told those present that Callum had been described by his parents, Michael and Lisa, as a “happy child” who was “loved and appreciated by everyone in the community.”
Callum’s best friend Tommy gave an emotional eulogy, thanking the teenager’s parents “for raising the most perfect son I could ever have asked for,” and saying it had been “a true privilege to call him a brother.”
“It has been the greatest honour of my life to know you Callum and to call you my brother,” he said. “Until we meet again, fly high brother, I love you,”, reports The Mirror.
“I stand here today as Callum’s father. I would like you all to remember him as he was — a happy 16-year-old boy who was taken from this world far too soon,” he said.
“I want everyone to know he had a joyful 16 years. He was a happy child who was loved by many. People had great respect for him, and he showed that same respect to others. He was polite and never caused trouble.
“Fly high my son. I know you are now in God’s care and we will meet again when the time is right,”, reports The Mirror.
Following the funeral service, Callum was laid to rest in the adjoining cemetery.
A 29-year-old man has since been arrested in connection with the fatal crash and has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving, along with several other alleged offences, reports The Mirror.
Tiernan McCann, from Flax Street in Belfast, faces charges of causing Callum Hutchinson’s death by dangerous and careless driving on the Belfast Road at Nutts Corner on April 26 this year. The 29-year-old is also accused of causing grievous bodily harm to an 11-year-old boy through dangerous and careless driving.
He is additionally charged with driving while unfit due to drink or drugs, speeding, using a mobile phone while driving, and displaying an incorrect registration plate, all alleged to have occurred on the same date, reports The Mirror.
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