PETALING JAYA: "I apologise on my wife's behalf," says the husband of the female car driver who crashed into two motorcycles in Dungun, killing three Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) students.
Azhar Ahmad, 53, said he wanted to apologise to the families of the victims the same night of the accident but was advised by police and friends to wait until the situation had calmed down.
"I cried and was deeply saddened. On behalf of my wife, I wish to apologise from the bottom of my heart to all the families of the students involved," he said.
Azhar said he only realised his wife was missing after he found the house gate open and the car was gone.
He said he was performing prayers with his son the night in question and his wife was in the living room watching television.
"After praying, I came out of the room and found my wife gone. I noticed the car was not in the parking space and the gate was wide open.
"I had hidden the car key – I don't know how my wife managed to find it," said the father of three and grandfather of four.
Azhar said he was about to go out to search for his wife when he received a call from a friend who saw that his vehicle had been involved in an accident.
"My son and I rushed to the scene about two kilometres away. My heart broke when I saw four young men lying there," he said.
Azhar expressed deep regret over the accident and felt that something was off with his wife that night, reported Utusan Malaysia.
He said his wife of 30 years was a kind and loving wife and mother but had experienced mental health problems 10 years ago after she had an ectopic pregnancy and the baby was aborted.
She was in a coma for four days and lost a lot of blood, he said.
After regaining consciousness, he said his wife was not the same and started hallucinating and talking to herself.
"I have taken my wife for treatment at the hospital and also for traditional treatment, but there has been no change," he said.
Azhar added that despite his wife's state she still fulfilled her responsibilities, cleaning the house and cooking.
"She is also very affectionate towards her children and grandchildren, often buying and cooking food for them," he said.
At 7.35pm on Wednesday, a 49-year-old housewife driving a sports utility vehicle on Jalan Pantai near UiTM, Dungun crashed into two motorcycles the victims were riding.
Three were killed at the scene and the fourth victim suffered serious injuries and is being treated in hospital.
