The mum of one of the four boys who died in a Llanfrothen car crash in 2023 has told of the moment she discovered her son had died as she fights for greater safety measures for young drivers.

Crystal Owen’s son Harvey was 17 when he and three friends went on a trip to Eryri in November 2023.

Harvey, along with Jevon Hirst, 16, Wilf Fitchett, 17 and Hugo Morris, 18, all died when the silver Ford Fiesta they were travelling in, overturned in a ditch near Garreg, tragically leading to all four boys drowning.

Harvey Owen
Harvey's mum, Crystal Owen with Dwyfor Meirionnydd MP Liz Saville Roberts (Plaid Cymru)

Crystal’s story was read out by Shropshire MP Julia Buckley, who secured a debate on road safety for young drivers in Westminster Hall as Crystal and other bereaved families from the Forget-me-not Families Uniting campaign group sat in the public gallery.

Reading Crystal’s emotional story, Ms Buckley told fellow MPs: “Before he left Harvey sat in his bedroom playing Ring of Fire on his guitar, knowing I loved this song.

“I told him how proud I was of him, how talented he was.

“I gave him a hug, telling him I loved him. He jokingly told me to stop being weird and then said he loved me too.

"Not long after that he left. It was the last time I would ever see my beautiful son.”

Harvey Owen
Shropshire MP Julia Buckley secured the debate in Westminster on Tuesday (Julie Buckley)

"The following morning Harvey sent me a picture message of the view from the cottage and everything seemed fine.

“However what I didn't know at the time was that the boys had decided to go on a camping trip.

“It later transpired that another 18-year-old boy Harvey had recently met at college, a newly-qualified driver, had also gone and was actually the one driving.

“Just over an hour later, after sending me the text, my son and his three friends were dead.”

Harvey Owen
Families who have lost loved ones came together to hear the debate (Brake)

Describing the moment she discovered her son had died, Crystal said: "A suffocating numbness washed over me and I felt I was being ripped apart from the inside.

“Time felt like it froze. Like everything around me became a blur. It was as though the world was no longer a place I wanted to be.

“The life I had known filled with my son's laughter, his music, his dreams was ripped away in an instant.

“It is an unbearable shock and pain.

“I wanted to die myself just to escape a nightmare.

“The thought of now living the thought of facing a world without my son, without his presence, was too much to bear."

Shrewsbury Abbey in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, where members of the public can pay tribute after four teenagers who went to college in the town tragically died on a camping trip. November 22, 2023. Release date – November 22, 2023. See SWNS story SWBNdeaths. The college attended by the four boys who tragically died on a camping trip have offered support to students and staff. A desperate search for Jevon Hirst, Harvey Owen, Wilf Henderson, and Hugo Morris was carried out yesterday after the teens failed to return home as planned. But tragically, four bodies were discovered in a car in Wales which was on its roof and partially submerged in water. All four boys attended Shrewsbury College and a spokesperson for the site has since offered their thoughts to anyone affected by the sad news.
Candles lit in Shrewsbury Abbey (Joseph Walshe / SWNS)

The bereaved families are campaigning for a graduated driving licence, which introduces elements such as a minimum learning period and a restriction on driving at night.

Crystal is also calling for vehicles to carry ‘Harvey’s Hammer’ which could break glass and cut seatbelts after learning the boys were conscious after the crash and had tried to escape.

Responding, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood, said the UK Government was not considering graduated licences but will explore options and will consider the Harvey’s Hammer suggestion.