DUNGUN: The husband of the driver suspected of being involved in the fatal crash that killed three Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Dungun students had wanted to apologise to the victims' families on behalf of his wife.
However, the man aged 53, was advised by the authorities and his friends to wait, for the time being.
"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 said.
The man said his 49-year-old wife had always been a kind and loving woman and mother.
"Ten years ago, when she was pregnant with our fourth child, the doctors confirmed that it was an ectopic pregnancy, and the baby had to be aborted.
"While receiving treatment at Kuala Terengganu Hospital, she fell into a coma for four days and lost a significant amount of blood," he said.
He added that after regaining consciousness, his wife began experiencing hallucinations and would talk to herself. He said he had sent her for all kinds of treatment, but nothing worked.
"Even though she is like that, she still fulfilled 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," said the husband, who had been married to her for 30 years.
He recalled that on the day of the incident, he had just performed Maghrib prayers with his youngest child and was shocked to find that his wife, who had been watching television, was no longer in the living room.
"I noticed that the front gate was open, and I realised that two pairs of her shoes and one of her clothes were missing from the house.
"She never goes out at night. If she does go out, it's always with me or the children. Even when she goes out during the day, she just drives to her favourite cafe near the campus," he said.
The husband said he initially intended to go out and search for his wife, but since it was close to isyak, he decided to pray first.
"Just a few minutes later, I received a call from a friend informing me that my car had been involved in an accident. I immediately took my youngest child and went to the scene," he said.
Upon arriving, he was shocked to see the body of a student lying on the road.
"I thought there was just one victim, but it turned out there were three. I was devastated. After my wife was taken by the police, I went to the location of the bodies and tried to find the victims' families to apologise. I was informed that all the victims were not from Dungun.
"I left the scene immediately after being instructed by the police to go to the station to give my statement," he said.
He added that the following morning, he wanted to meet the victims' families at Dungun Hospital, but was advised against it to avoid any conflict.
"I deeply regret the incident. Perhaps, at that time, she (my wife) 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 said.
He expressed hope that the management of UiTM Dungun would assist him in meeting with the families of all the victims.
On Wednesday, three students from UiTM Dungun were killed, and another was severely injured when a car driven by a woman crashed into their motorcycles at 7.20pm.