“I Love You Millions”: The Heartbreaking Final Words of a Daughter Before Her Tragic Journey to Creamfields
As the fifteenth anniversary of Dominique Williams’ tragic death approaches, her mother, Lesley, reflects on the vibrant life of her daughter, who was taken far too soon. Dominique, a dance and performing arts student, was only 20 years old when she died in a horrific car crash on her way to the Creamfields festival in Daresbury, Cheshire, on August 29, 2009.
Lesley, now 60, still vividly remembers that day, a day that changed her life forever. “It’s a funny one because so much has changed over 15 years. The world feels a completely different place, but at the same time, it feels like only minutes ago I was hearing Dom’s laugh. She had such a cackle,” Lesley recalls.
Dominique was full of life, with big dreams and an even bigger heart. “People now are so quick to hate. The world is so full of it. It’s the complete opposite to what Dom was like. She lived by her beliefs and all she wanted to do was help people,” Lesley says. “Her motto was ‘life is too short’—that was how she judged things. She took every opportunity that she was offered. She was so full of life. I am so proud to be her mum. I wish she was still here—the world would be a much better place if she was”, Liverpool Echo.
Dominique was excited for Creamfields, eagerly planning her trip with friends. On the morning of the festival, she stayed up late, calling her friends to finalize details. Lesley recalls the last conversation she had with her daughter: “The driver of the car came about 10:30 a.m. I remember it like it’s a video in my head. I said, ‘you know what, I can come with you,’ and she said, ‘you know I love you mum, but no,’ joking around. Her last words to me were, ‘I love you millions.’ Then she was gone.”
Not long after leaving Maghull, Dominique’s car was involved in a devastating crash caused by a punctured rear tire. The car spun out of control, flipped onto its roof, and Dominique and her friend Nicola Edgar were killed instantly. The other two passengers survived.
Lesley first learned of the accident when police officers arrived at her door. “They said there had been a fatal accident. I didn’t even hear what he said next. I said, ‘you’ve got the wrong house, this doesn’t make sense.’ Then he said it’s Dominique and I lost it,” she recalls.
The loss of Dominique shattered Lesley’s world, leading to the end of her marriage and profoundly affecting her two sons. Yet, in the years since, Lesley has found solace in writing, filling books with poems and memories of Dominique. Determined to keep her daughter’s memory alive, she wrote a book titled Daughter of Mine, a tribute to Dominique and a reflection on her grief.
Every year, when Creamfields comes around again, Lesley asks people to remember her daughter and to “be more Dom.” She hopes Dominique’s story inspires others to seize every opportunity and live life to the fullest, just as her daughter did. “I’ll always remember how when she was 17, she had the offer to go to work at Disney World. She was wondering whether to go or not, but she told me ‘life is too short’ and she went. She did a lot in her 20 years,” Lesley says.