'Literally hell': Father critical of police investigation into Calgary crash that killed his son

Bob Donoghue has a difficult time choosing a favourite photo of his son growing up.

The father peers at the dozens of photos spread across his coffee table and picks up several, smiling to himself as he recalls the memories and moments the images capture of his son Mitchell.

The photos Donoghue has of his son end shortly after the young man turned 20 years old.

Mitchell was killed in a car crash in south Calgary in May of 2022 and Donoghue said he's had few answers as to why no one has been charged in his son's death.

"It's been literally hell," Donoghue told CTV News, more than eight months after his son's death. "My life has been flipped upside down."

"We haven't had any support from the police. Every time we request to get information about the case, we keep getting told it's just ongoing and they can't release any information."

STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT

According to police, Mitchell Donoghue was stopped at a red light in his Chevrolet Camaro on Midpark Boulevard when he was hit by a Hyundai Santa Fe travelling eastbound on Midlake Boulevard. Both vehicles slid across the sidewalk and crashed through a fence and into someone's backyard.

Mitchell, 20, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bob Donoghue's son died in a car crash in May 2022 and no one has been charged

The driver of the Santa Fe, a 79-year-old man, was taken to hospital in stable condition. He has not yet been charged.

"The investigation into this collision is ongoing," reads a short statement from Calgary Police.

"This collision involved factors which have made this a complicated investigation."

Police won't elaborate on what those complicating factors are.

At the time of the crash, police said investigators had ruled out drugs or alcohol as reasons for the collision, but believe speed was a factor. According to Donoghue, police told him the Santa Fe was travelling at speeds exceeding 100 km/h when it crossed the median and collided with the driver's side front door of the Camaro.

"So we can't even start grieving and moving on until this is going to get resolved," Donoghue said. "(We want) some type of closure so we can at least grieve and get into the next steps of trying to move on."

Crash scene of Mitchell Donoghue

Donoghue said communication from police has been sparse over the last five months and he says investigators told him they are overwhelmed with other cases.

"We are just sitting here, like Mitchell just dies every morning, and we can't move on to try and get some peace," he said.

A spokesperson for the Calgary Police Service said details will be shared when the investigation is complete.