"I feel sad when I see other kids playing with their fathers.
I miss playing with him. I loved my dad, he helped me with my homework.”
Those are the words of a 10 year old, one of the uncounted victims
of the so called "road toll."
Standing tall in the Geelong County Court today, Mohammad read out his
victim impact statement.
"He was teaching me how the world works and how to make
decisions."
"It's hard to get motivated to study now because my dad used
to make it so interesting for me."
Young Mohammad was one of the few in that courtroom whose eyes
were still dry. But he had to stay strong because he is now the man of the
family. He now feels the need to fill his fathers shoes because 38-year-old
Anthony Davis from Hamlyn Heights decided to drive drunk on Christmas Day 2012.
Raza Hussein was a hard working taxi driver, but more than that he was a devoted husband and father to 5 children all under 10.
He left Pakistan looking for a better life and worked
relentlessly to save for a house for his family. He had almost reached that
goal.
On Christmas Day he had taken a few rare hours off work to play
with his kids in the park. A friend Julie Riley later described that day,
saying, "Something had changed, Raza and his wife were deeply and utterly
in love. It was a day of hope for a bright future."
But all that changed in the hours that followed. Raza returned
to work. He was sitting at a traffic light not far from home, stationary, when
his life was taken from him.
Anthony Davis lost control of his car and smashed into the taxi,
Raza didn't stand a chance.
I hadn't seen a police prosecutor break down in court before
today. He was tasked with reading out statements from the other children.
"My dad loved me so much and I loved him even more. He was
so busy because he drove a taxi all the time," one wrote.
From another, "My dad took me to places I Ioved like Luna
Park, that was the best place I've ever been."
Raza's wife also stood tall in court describing the hell she and
her family are living through.
"On Christmas Day, Raza was killed and my life was
over."
"My love is gone. My children's father is gone. My income
is gone. The children were crying, they were shocked and scared. I am only
living for my children."
"He is dead because a stranger did not follow the rules of
the road."
Another family of five was in the car next to Raza's taxi. They
too were hit, but in a lucky and unlucky twist of fate their injuries were such
that they, at least physically, were able to recover.
Today I heard a record of Davis's police interview and the
moments he learnt he had killed someone. He stopped, first trying to understand
what he had been told, and then he broke down crying.
This was not a murderer, but a man who made the enormous mistake
of drink driving, which had murderous consequences. He had been too caught-up
in his own relationship breakdown to consider the real consequences of getting
behind the wheel. He was left devastated by what he had done but there was
nothing he could do to fix it.
Next time you consider drink driving, remember it's not about
you. You losing your license or you hurting or killing yourself is not the
worst thing that can happen.
Anthony Davis is facing jail time, Raza received the death
sentence, 5 children lost their dad, and a woman has lost the love of her life.
So well said, Coops. Everyone should have to see what you saw today.
ReplyDeleteThese are well written words and what we so often hear during our work with those impacted by road trauma. It only takes one split second to change so many lives at the point of impact of a serious crash.
ReplyDeleteWe can make different choices when getting into our cars and we can make a positive ripple happen in our communities - just by believing we can make a difference and believing that it is not acceptable to have any one die or be seriously injured on our roads
thank you for sharing this
Chris
Road Trauma Support Services Victoria