'No hatred' towards driver, says uncle of Tampines crash victim even as family struggles to heal

The driver who caused the 2024 Tampines collision that killed his 17-year-old niece has been sentenced, but the family’s grief remains profound, her uncle says.

Damaged vehicles seen at the junction of Tampines Avenue 1 and Tampines Avenue 4 on Apr 22, 2024. (Photo: CNA/Calvin Oh)

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SINGAPORE: The first time the 37-year-old stepped into a courtroom and saw the driver who caused the 2024 Tampines chain collision that killed his 17-year-old niece, he harboured "no hatred" or anger towards him.

The uncle told CNA that through it all, he still hopes that the public does not fixate on the driver or direct vitriol towards him, and urges motorists to use the case as a sobering reminder of the dangers of speeding.

"I don't remember having any feelings when I was facing the guy (driver), I didn't feel any hatred," he said.

"But for me, things have already happened, and the guy probably regrets what he did. I don't think it's useful to have this hate (towards him) or (that anything will come out of) attacking him."

He added: "I cannot stress enough how traumatic the past two years have been for our family. I really hope no other family goes through this."

His comments came after Muhammad Syafie Ismail, 45, was sentenced to 12 years and nine months' jail and banned from driving for life on Monday (Oct 5). It is one of the longest jail terms imposed for a fatal traffic incident in recent history.

On Apr 22, 2024, the Singaporean sped through a red light at a cross junction in Tampines and crashed into three vehicles, triggering a chain collision involving six vehicles.

The collision killed Norzihan Juwahib, 57, and the 17-year-old student, who cannot be identified due to a gag order imposed on all victims under the age of 18. Eight people were injured in the crash, including Syafie.

The student’s maternal uncle, who spoke to CNA hours after he attended the court case with his parents, cannot be named.

As the court heard t he details leading up to the collision and its aftermath, the student’s uncle relived the moment that began his family's long struggle with grief and mental health issues.

While he felt some relief about the case’s conclusion after more than two years, the lingering sense of loss still haunts his family.

"I don't wish this upon anybody. Nobody should have to go through a loss like this," he said, his voice cracking midway.

The student's mother has struggled with major depressive disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder following the incident.

As for her father, he has recovered physically and returned to work. But the family has found it difficult to broach the topic with him – the father was driving the student to a school sports event when the accident happened.

Separately, CNA has also reached out to Norzihan's family for comment.

The student’s uncle said that since the incident, he has been "running away" from anything that reminds him of the moment due to how traumatic it was.

"I only realised today when sitting in court. For the first time in two years - I don't know how to explain it - I feel like I'm going through it again," he said.

The student’s uncle had learnt on the morning of Apr 22, 2024, that his brother-in-law had been in a car accident and was being transported to the hospital.

While on the way to the hospital to see his brother-in-law, he learnt of his niece's death.

He remembers vividly how his brother-in-law, wrapped up in bandages and a cast, could not bear to look at his daughter’s lifeless body – but he managed to hold onto the girl's hand for the last time.

As for himself, the student’s uncle said learning about the crash had also taken a heavy personal toll.

"But I'm dealing with it in my own way; I have to be strong to support my parents," he said.

Flowers left near the junction in Tampines on May 7, 2024, where an accident involving several vehicles left two people dead at Tampines Avenue 1 and Avenue 4. (Photo: CNA/Calvin Oh)

Since the student's death, the family has largely kept to themselves as they cope with the ongoing emotional toll.

"We don't talk about the case at all," he said. "It's difficult to talk about the subject, because we don't want to trigger emotions unnecessarily."

PROLONGED SENSE OF LOSS

Careful to avoid any mention of the incident, the family has trodden quietly around the topic and the legal proceedings that followed.

The student's parents have not attended any court hearing, said her uncle.

Even during festive periods like Hari Raya, the family has largely kept to themselves, as celebrations tend to trigger memories of the girl – and her death.

The only time the girl's name comes up in conversation is when they reminisce about the "happier times".

But with the passage of time, the student’s uncle said he is trying his best to hold on to the "simple, cute moments" of his niece. He had lived with her and the family when she was a toddler, and would pick her up from preschool and kindergarten.

"It's very simple, like bringing her to the playground and buying her favourite candy. When you try to think of the happy times, it's always easier to think of the younger days," he said, adding that those days are more "precious" now that they are impossible to relive.

Despite the penalties meted out to the driver, the student’s uncle said there is little closure for the family.

It is hard to see when their grief might end, he said. After all, his niece was the family's pride and joy who "would help anyone in need".

He occasionally sees videos of the collision on social media, and every news article and court hearing about the case has reminded them of the loss. He would avoid reading such content, quickly swiping away any articles he sees on his phone.

"In the past two years, whenever we tried to take a step forward to move on, the court case comes up again," he said.

"I'm glad that the case has come to its conclusion, so at least now we can try to take a bigger step towards healing."

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导致他17岁侄女在2024年淡滨尼车祸中丧生的肇事司机已被判刑，但她的叔叔说，家人的悲痛依然深切。

2024年4月22日，在淡滨尼1道和淡滨尼4道的交界处，可以看到受损车辆。（图片：CNA/Calvin Oh）

这段音频是由人工智能工具生成的。

新加坡：这位37岁的男子第一次走进法庭，见到2024年淡滨尼连环车祸的肇事司机时，他并没有对肇事司机怀有任何仇恨或愤怒。那次车祸导致他17岁的侄女丧生。

这位叔叔告诉亚洲新闻台，尽管发生了这一切，他仍然希望公众不要把注意力集中在司机身上，也不要对他进行人身攻击，并敦促驾车者以此案为鉴，警醒世人超速行驶的危险。

“我不记得当时面对那个人（司机）时​​有什么感觉，我没有感到任何仇恨，”他说。

“但对我来说，事情已经发生了，那个人可能后悔自己所做的事。我认为对他怀有仇恨或者攻击他都没有用，也无济于事。”

他补充道：“我无法用语言来形容过去两年对我们家来说有多么痛苦。我真心希望其他家庭不要经历这样的事情。”

他的评论是在45岁的穆罕默德·沙菲·伊斯梅尔于周一（10月5日）被判处12年零9个月监禁并终身禁止驾驶之后发表的。这是近年来因致命交通事故而判处的最长刑期之一。

2024 年 4 月 22 日，一名新加坡人在淡滨尼的一个十字路口闯红灯，撞上三辆车，引发了一起涉及六辆车的连环相撞事故。

这场车祸导致 57 岁的诺尔齐汉·朱瓦希布和一名 17 岁的学生死亡，由于对所有 18 岁以下受害者下达了禁言令，这名学生的身份无法公开。包括沙菲在内的八人在车祸中受伤。

这名学生的舅舅在陪同父母出庭数小时后接受了 CNA 的采访，但由于种种原因，他的姓名不能透露。

法庭听取了有关碰撞事故发生前及事故后果的细节后，这名学生的叔叔再次经历了导致他的家庭长期遭受悲痛和心理健康问题困扰的那一刻。

虽然案件在两年多后终于结束，让他感到些许宽慰，但挥之不去的失落感仍然困扰着他的家人。

“我不希望任何人经历这种痛苦。任何人都不应该承受这样的损失，”他说道，声音哽咽了。

事件发生后，这名学生的母亲一直饱受重度抑郁症和创伤后应激障碍的折磨。

至于她的父亲，他身体已经康复并重返工作岗位。但家人却很难跟他谈起这件事——事故发生时，父亲正开车送女儿去参加学校的运动会。

此外，CNA 也已联系 Norzihan 的家人寻求置评。

这名学生的叔叔说，自从那件事发生后，由于这件事给他造成了极大的创伤，他一直在“逃避”任何会让他想起那件事的事物。

“直到今天坐在法庭上，我才意识到这一点。两年来，我第一次感觉自己好像又经历了一遍这一切，我不知道该怎么形容，”他说。

2024年4月22日早上，这名学生的叔叔得知他的姐夫出了车祸，正在被送往医院。

在去医院探望姐夫的路上，他得知了侄女去世的消息。

他清楚地记得，他的姐夫浑身缠满绷带，打着石膏，不忍心看女儿冰冷的尸体——但他还是设法最后一次握住了女孩的手。

至于他本人，这位学生的叔叔说，得知这场车祸的消息也给他带来了沉重的打击。

“但我会用自己的方式应对；我必须坚强起来，才能养活我的父母，”他说。

2024年5月7日，在淡滨尼1道和4道交叉口附近摆放了鲜花，悼念在此发生多车相撞事故、造成两人死亡的遇难者。（图片：CNA/Calvin Oh）

自这名学生去世以来，他的家人一直与世隔绝，努力应对持续不断的精神创伤。

“我们根本不谈论这个案子，”他说。“谈论这个话题很困难，因为我们不想不必要地引发情绪波动。”

长久的失落感

为了避免提及此事，这家人一直对这个话题以及随后的法律诉讼保持沉默。

这名学生的叔叔说，她的父母没有出席任何庭审。

即使在开斋节这样的节日期间，这个家庭也大多与世隔绝，因为庆祝活动往往会勾起人们对这个女孩及其死亡的回忆。

只有在回忆“快乐时光”时，谈话中才会提到这个女孩的名字。

但随着时间的流逝，这位学生的叔叔说，他正努力留住侄女“简单而可爱的瞬间”。侄女还是个蹒跚学步的孩子时，他就和她以及她的家人一起生活，经常去幼儿园和学前班接她。

“这很简单，就像带她去游乐场，给她买她最喜欢的糖果一样。当你试图回忆快乐的时光时，总是更容易想起小时候的日子，”他说道，并补充说，那些日子现在更显得“珍贵”，因为它们已经无法重现。

尽管肇事司机受到了处罚，但这位学生的叔叔表示，对于家人来说，这件事并没有带来多少慰藉。

他说，很难想象他们的悲痛何时才能结束。毕竟，他的侄女是家里的骄傲和快乐源泉，“她会帮助任何需要帮助的人”。

他偶尔会在社交媒体上看到那场车祸的视频，每一篇关于此案的新闻报道和庭审都会让他想起失去亲人的痛苦。他会尽量避免阅读这类内容，看到任何相关文章都会迅速划掉。

“过去两年里，每当我们试图向前迈进一步时，这起诉讼案就会再次出现，”他说。

“我很高兴这个案子终于结束了，这样至少我们现在可以尝试朝着治愈的方向迈出更大的一步。”

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