Gold Coast mum who lost her newborn son Jack in horror M1 crash shares a heartbreaking plea to drivers
A grieving first-time mum who lost her newborn son in a horror collision on the M1 when she pulled over to feed him has lashed out at the ‘carelessness’ of the driver.
Divine Caneo, 24, pulled over into the emergency lane at Gaven on the Gold Coast to feed her five-week-old son Jack Marshall Riordan.
Jack began screaming in the back seat shortly after she dropped her partner, Callum Riordan, off at hospital.
Ms Caneo had just finished feeding him and was returning to the driver’s seat when a grey Toyota Hilux ploughed into the back of her Jeep Cherokee just before 3am on September 21.
The baby was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital but died shortly afterwards.
Ms Caneo, who suffered serious injuries in the crash, has taken to social media to share tributes to her baby boy.
She recalled the moment her world changed forever as she urged drivers to take more care on the roads and think of others.
‘The devil couldn’t reach me so he put me front row at a funeral he knew I’d never recover from,’ she wrote over a TikTok slideshow of photos from the service.
Five-week-old Jack Riordan was killed in a horror crash on the side of the M1 a fortnight ago
The clip featured several photos of Jack’s funeral, where a tiny white coffin was seen surrounded by teddy bears and a heart-shaped bouquet of white roses (pictured)
‘At 2.50am, while parked in the emergency lane on the highway my life changed forever,’ she continued in the caption of the video.
‘A driver crashed into our car, and in that tragic moment, I lost my newborn son.
‘No family should ever have to endure such pain because of someone’s carelessness on the road.
‘Road awareness is not just about rules – it’s about lives, families, and futures.
‘Every second of distraction, every choice to speed, every decision to drive while tired or impaired can destroy someone’s world in an instant.
‘My son’s life was short, but his memory will live on as a reminder of how fragile and precious life truly is.
‘Let his story be a call for change, for awareness, and for compassion on our roads.’
The clip featured several photos of Jack’s funeral, where a tiny white coffin was seen surrounded by teddy bears and a heart-shaped bouquet of white roses.
The young mum (left) was on her way home after dropping off her partner Callum Riordan (right) at the hospital, when baby Jack began screaming in the backseat
Ms Caneo also shared this photo from the crash site on the M1 on the Gold Coast
Earlier this week, she opened up about her unbearable pain of losing her firstborn.
‘It’s a matter of seconds my love. I can’t seriously believe I survived, you should take me with you,’ Ms Caneo wrote.
The driver of the ute, a 51-year-old man, also sustained minor injuries in the crash.
Police investigations into the crash are ongoing.
No charges have been laid.
