The family of a 14-year-old boy who died in a motorway crash caused by a drug-driving father have called for harsher penalties for killer drivers. Ryan Morgan was killed on Easter Sunday, two weeks before his 15th birthday, when Daniel Burba lost control of a van on the M6 near Lancaster.
Burba, 31, who had never passed a driving test, suffered an epileptic fit at the wheel despite being warned by doctors not to drive due to his risk of seizures. Witnesses reported seeing Ryan desperately trying to steer the van before it hit a tree. A court heard the teenager 'died in terror'.
Burba was sentenced to 10 years in prison, with a requirement to serve at least two-thirds, and was disqualified from driving for 14 years and five months. However, Ryan's mother, Kim Walker, and grandmother, Ann Bell, have described the punishment as 'unduly lenient'.
'Ryan wouldn't have even been 20 before [Burba] is going to be walking around again,' Ms Walker told the BBC. 'It's nothing, is it? There's no justice for Ryan, is there?' She also expressed concern that Burba could potentially drive again in the future, saying, 'I don't think he should ever get behind a wheel again.'
The family is calling for new legislation, to be known as Ryan's Law, to increase minimum sentences for those convicted of killing someone while driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Ms Walker has started a petition, which needs 10,000 signatures to be acknowledged by the government and 100,000 for parliamentary debate. She also wants anyone convicted of causing death by dangerous driving under such circumstances to be banned from reapplying for a licence.
Ryan, an avid Blackpool FC fan, will be remembered by the club before their home fixture against Bradford on 4 January. Ms Walker said she has been touched by the number of people who have shared fond memories of her son, describing him as 'an amazing boy'.
