Parents of drink-driving rugby player killed in head-on smash apologise to survivors
Young sportsman Macaulay Campbell, 20, was driving at 70mph and on the wrong side of the road when he ploughed into another vehicle
THE grieving parents of a rugby player who was drunk behind the wheel have apologised to the survivors of the head-on crash which took their son’s life.
Macaulay Campbell, 20, drank more than twice the legal limit of alcohol when he drove home from a party which was thrown in his honour at Romsey Rugby Club in Hampshire.
The young sportsman was celebrating a win and a man of the match performance by taking part in drinking games at the club’s bar – even texting his girlfriend that he was too drunk to drive.
An inquest heard that Macaulay consumed “four or five pints” before causing the fatal crash, which resulted in his car exploding with him inside, on the A3057 near Romsey, on February 20.
The tragic player was driving his Volkswagen Lupo on the wrong side of the road and at speeds of up to 70mph when he ploughed into a BMW 520, injuring driver Mark Penn-Newman and his wife Rosemary.
In a statement, Macaulay’s parents apologised to the injured driver and passenger and said their son would be “mortified” by the grief he has caused.
His girlfriend Fleur Gollogly and his brother Sam, organised a huge event called MacFest, at Switch nightclub in Southampton, which raised nearly £12,500 for various good causes.
Singer Craig David, festival organiser Rob Da Bank and Radio 1 DJ Nick Grimshaw were among the celebrities who offered their support to the event in April which took place two days before what would have been Macaulay’s 21st birthday.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368