Two teenagers were killed in a tragic car crash on their way to prom after a reckless driver ignored repeated pleas to slow down.
Kiea McCann, 17, and Dlava Mohamed, 16, were traveling with family friend Anthony McGinn, 61, when the fatal collision occurred.
McGinn, who was behind the wheel, was driving at dangerously high speeds when he lost control and veered off the road. Kiea and Dlava were both killed when the car struck a tree in County Monaghan, Ireland, in July 2023.
According to The Sun, the two girls were on their way to their formal — the equivalent of a high school prom — and should have been heading toward a night they would remember forever.
Instead, the evening ended in tragedy after McGinn ignored multiple requests to slow down.
Both girls, along with their friend in the front passenger seat, Oisin Clerkin, had reportedly asked the driver to check his speed, but he refused.
Amárach a adhlacfar Kiea McCann agus Dlava Mohamed, an bheirt déagóirí a maraíodh i dtubaiste bóthair i Muineachán. pic.twitter.com/H5RpjfiTba
— Nuacht RTÉ (@NuachtRTE) August 2, 2023
Clerkin later described how terrified he felt as the car sped along the country roads, telling the court that Kiea also appeared visibly frightened. Before McGinn lost control, the vehicle was said to be traveling at 94 mph — nearly double the 50 mph speed limit.
Heartbreakingly, reports say the girls died at the scene, side by side, holding hands.
Dlava’s sister, Avin, was also in the car. Her injuries were so severe that she didn’t learn of her sister’s death for several months.
Avin also struggled with guilt, believing she was responsible because she had invited Dlava to the prom. She remembered very little of the crash due to significant memory loss caused by the trauma.
Earlier this year, in May, McGinn was sentenced to seven years in prison after admitting to dangerous driving that caused the teenagers’ deaths.
Kiea’s mother, Teresa, said: “Seven years, that’s the justice here. Two beautiful girls. This is what we got today.
“There is no justice for this. My child’s life is gone and never coming back.”
During sentencing, the judge emphasized that McGinn — considered a trusted family friend — had “shown an extraordinary breach of that trust.”
He noted that McGinn had chosen “to drive at a grossly excessive speed,” despite repeated pleas from both Kiea and Dlava to slow down.
The court also heard that Kiea’s father arrived at the scene and performed CPR on both girls before emergency responders arrived.
Rest in peace, Kiea McCann and Dlava Mohamed — two lives taken far too soon.
