SINGAPORE – As others celebrated Hari Raya over the past two years, the family members of the 17-year-old student killed in the 2024 Tampines collision could only mark the occasion in quiet grief.
Although they tried to avoid painful reminders of what happened, her name would inevitably be mentioned whenever the family reminisced about happy memories, her uncle said.
On Oct 5, the student’s uncle, 39, spoke to The Straits Times after the driver responsible for the crash was sentenced to jail that morning.
Said her uncle: “We’re just trying to get by, and cannot bring ourselves to discuss what happened that day.
“She was the pride of our family and we miss her.”
The student cannot be identified due to a gag order imposed by the court on all victims of the accident below 18. Her uncle, who is her mother’s brother, also cannot be named to protect her identity.
Her uncle was in court with his parents – her grandparents – as Muhammad Syafie Ismail, 45, was sentenced to 12 years and nine months’ jail for causing the fatal chain collision in Tampines on April 22, 2024. Syafie was also handed a lifetime driving ban.
The student, who was in a car driven by her father, died in the crash while on her way to take part in her school’s annual cross-country event.
Norzihan Juwahib, 57, a senior technician at a pest control firm who was a passenger in a van on her way to work, also died in the accident.
Eight others were injured, including two 11-year-old boys.
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