SHAH ALAM - The husband of the driver suspected in the fatal crash that claimed the lives of three Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Dungun students says he had wanted to apologise to the victims' families on behalf of his wife.
According to English daily New Straits Times, the 53-year-old man said, however, he was advised by the authorities and his friends against doing so for the time being to avoid conflict.
"I cried and was deeply saddened by the accident. On behalf of my wife, I wish to apologise from the bottom of my heart and bow in front of all the families of the students involved.
"It was my intention to meet with the families of the students involved that very night to apologise, but I was advised to wait for the time being by the authorities and friends," he was reported as saying.
He described his 49-year-old wife as a loving and caring woman and mother.
He said 10 years ago, during her pregnancy with their fourth child, doctors diagnosed an ectopic pregnancy, necessitating the termination of the pregnancy.
She then fell into a four-day coma, he added.
After regaining consciousness, the man said his wife began experiencing hallucinations. He said his wife would often talk to herself.
He shared that he had tried all sorts of treatments for her, but none of them were successful.
"Even though she is like that, she still fulfills her responsibilities, cleaning the house and cooking and she dislikes any mess.
"She is also very affectionate towards her children and grandchildren, often buying and cooking food for them," the man said.
Recalling the day of the incident, he said he had just finished performing Maghrib prayers with his youngest child when he noticed his wife was no longer in the living room and the front gate was open.
He said he also realised that two pairs of her shoes and one of her clothes were missing from the house.
He added that it was unusual for her to leave the house at night without him or the children.
Moments later, he said he received a call informing him that his car had been involved in an accident and immediately took his youngest child to the scene.
He said upon arriving, he saw the body of a student lying on the road.
The following morning, he said he intended to meet the victims' families at the Dungun Hospital, but was advised against doing so at that time.
"I deeply regret the incident. Perhaps, at that time, she felt a sudden urge to leave the house.
"Nobody wanted something like this to happen. I even hid the car keys, but it still occurred," he was reported as saying.
He said he hoped that the university's management would assist him in meeting the families of the victims.
On Oct 9, a tragic accident occurred when a woman crashed her vehicle into four UiTM Dungun students riding on two motorcycles, resulting in the deaths of three students and leaving one seriously injured.
The woman was said to be mentally ill.
The accident took place at about 7.35pm in front of the UiTM Dungun campus at Kampung Sura Hujung.
It was reported that Terengganu deputy police chief Datuk Wan Rukman Wan Hassan said the collision involved a Honda CRV car driven by the woman and two Yamaha motorcycles.
The deceased were identified as Muhammad Akmal Md Tukirin, 25, Ku Adib Aizad Ku Azmi, 20, and Khairil Anwar Jamaludin, 20.
The student who was injured, Mohd Ammar Danish Mohammad Ridhuan, 20, was still receiving treatment at the Dungun Hospital.
The woman has been remanded for four days starting yesterday to assist in the investigation.