00:02Darcy Ward was a knockabout boilermaker who also had a gentle side.
00:07He was the one who would be sitting next to you and touch your leg and give you a cuddle.
00:11In April 2025, Darcy and a friend were travelling along this country road in Tasmania's north.
00:17At just after 2am, their car collided with cattle that had strayed onto the road.
00:22The driver survived, but Darcy, who was in the passenger seat, died at the scene.
00:27He was 20 years old.
00:29I don't know what to say. I mean, what do you say to that?
00:31And you don't believe it. You just don't believe it.
00:34The driver recorded a blood alcohol level of 0.163, more than three times the legal limit.
00:41In July this year, he pleaded guilty to drink driving.
00:45But no charges were laid in relation to Darcy's death.
00:48The assumption was, you're driving a car, you're three times over the legal limit.
00:53There's a fatality.
00:55You would just expect that there would be, someone would be held accountable for that.
01:01The Director of Public Prosecutions, Darryl Coates, wrote to Miss Ward,
01:05although the driver undoubtedly had a high amount of alcohol in his system,
01:09we cannot prove that this was the cause of the collision and the death of your son.
01:13Miss Ward was also told the threshold of proof could not be met to charge the owner of the cattle.
01:19So you're telling me that, you're literally just telling me that there's no, no one's responsible for Darcy's death.
01:27So he wasn't there.
01:28So that's what it felt like.
01:29It felt like that Darcy wasn't there.
01:31It didn't matter that he died because no one's accountable.
01:35The Launceston Magistrates Court heard that prior to the crash,
01:38Darcy and the driver consumed a considerable amount of alcohol at this regional football ground.
01:44The Northern Tasmanian Football Association says it's committed to providing safe environments
01:49while meeting all its legal and regulatory obligations.
01:53A coronial investigation is underway as a mother continues her search for answers.
