“My head-on joyrider crash left me scared of the dark, driving, everything”
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What happened on the M8 that changed Róisín’s life?
I'm joined on the line from Cork by Roshin Stakelem. Good morning, Roshin.
Good morning, Brendan.
Roshin, three years ago your life changed completely when you were the victim of a head on crash on a motorway involving so called joy riders. So uh similar to the M nine crash last Sunday, you two were travelling to Dublin Airport and the other car was being driven the wrong way down the motorway. I'm sure this week has brought it all back for you, has it?
Yeah, absolutely. I absolutely cannot believe that it has happened again. I'm so upset. It's really, really affected me. I can't stop thinking about the girls and the little boy in the car that was crashed into and what they must be going through. And it's brought it all back for me. I haven't been able to sleep properly since I heard about it, to be honest. And I just can't believe it's happened again and that's I don't feel like There was anything really done to try to prevent something like this from happening again?
Can we go back um to what happened, you it was the first of july twenty twenty three, and you were about to emigrate to Australia but you were going on a farewell holiday with a friend first, so you were driving from Cork to Dublin Airport. I think you were on the M eight around Mitchellstown, I think, at around twelve forty five AM and what happened?
Um, so I didn't see anything. Now, in hindsight, when I look back on it, I might have seen headlights very far away in the distance. But when you're on the motorway in the dark and you see headlights, they could be on the other side like they could be on the correct side of the road. It's impossible to tell from a distance. But on that stretch of motorway it's quite bendy. So I didn't actually see them coming towards me when I could have taken action.
How did the head‑on collision unfold and why was it impossible to react?
So by the time they crashed into me it was so quick I had no time to react. I had no time to even comprehend what had happened. It was just like a massive explosion went off.
Do you remember
it? I do, unfortunately. Um I was probably drifting in and out of consciousness, but I remember the headlights, I remembered the big bang and I remember being in the car absolutely terrified afterwards. Um I had had a fairly significant head injury, so everything like nothing made sense. I could not comprehend what had happened. I didn't know where I was, I had forgotten where I was going. It was just absolutely terrifying.
And look, there was a huge physical toll that's still with you. But tell me a bit about the psychological toll it's taken on you.
Well, the psychological toll didn't really kick in for a while. Because I was so injured and even in the very initial stages in the hospital. I was really numb, like there was a disconnect between me and the event that had happened. And especially because it was in the news and I could read about myself online, it made that disconnect even worse. Like it really didn't feel real. It felt like I was reading about somebody else. Um the psychological element didn't really kick in until I was leaving the hospital and I was really looking forward to going home. And then the minute I realised I'd be leaving the safety, I was in a little safety bubble in the hospital and I'd have to go back out into the world, the fear started.
And that fear has lived in me since it hasn't really gone away.
What physical injuries and psychological effects has Róisín experienced since the crash?
Now it has improved somewhat, but I am still absolutely terrified of everything. I'm scared of things that I was never scared of before. You've got to be afraid of everything. I s I'm scared of the dark now because the crash happened at night time. I'm scared of driving. Um I don't really like going out and about like Now it has gotten better. It definitely has gotten better, but There's definitely still elements elements of it. Even in the early stages when I was at home, my parents were looking after me, whenever they'd go down to the shop and if they didn't come back Like straight away, I'd immediately start panicking. That's something that happened to them.
Have you been able to go back to work?
So I was out of work for about two years.
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Chapters
8 chapters
1
What happened on the M8 that changed Róisín’s life?
0:00–1:47
2
How did the head‑on collision unfold and why was it impossible to react?
1:47–3:25
3
What physical injuries and psychological effects has Róisín experienced since the crash?
3:25–4:37
4
How did the legal and court process affect Róisín’s recovery?
4:37–6:09
5
What impact did the crash have on Róisín’s career and daily life?
6:09–7:30
6
How is Róisín using therapy and driving simulations to overcome her fear of driving?
7:30–8:36
7
Why does Róisín advocate for wrong‑way detection technology on Irish motorways?
8:36–10:10
8
What final thoughts does Róisín share about living with trauma and seeking change?
10:10–11:12