Grieving parents of three young children who were killed by a DUI driver while buying ice cream have spoken out.
Danny and Leila Abdallah were left devastated and heartbroken after 8-year-old Sienna, 12-year-old Angelina, and 13-year-old Antony were killed alongside their niece, 11-year-old Veronique Sakr, after 31-year-old Samuel William Davidson plowed into them with his car while they were walking on a sidewalk in Oatlands, Sydney, to buy ice cream.
Following the tragedy, it was revealed that Davidson sped through a red light and drove at the speed of over 80 mph in a 30 mph zone before mounting a curb and plowing into the backs of the four children.point 342 |
It also came to light that he was driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol.point 68 | 1
Following his arrest, the young man was handed the maximum sentence of 28 years in prison and will not be eligible for early release until 2041.
While the kids’ parents will never forget the horror or pain associated with their loss, they decided to move on with their lives by forgiving the killer.
In a tear-jerking speech delivered from Vatican City, Mr. Abdallah said:
“It was a perfect summer’s day when seven precious, adorable children walked to get some ice cream for my niece’s birthday. What should have been an enjoyable outing for the young kids turned into one of the worst road tragedies Australia has ever seen.
“From far away I saw the police cover Antony, Selina, Angelina and Veronique with white sheets.”
Supported by his four surviving children, Abdallah went on to say that the family forgives the driver despite the “unbearable pain and sleepless nights” that he put them through.
“We would either be stuck in the valley of pain and grief or I could lead them to the high ground,” the father added.
“I choose to forgive myself for telling my kids to go for a walk. If my children were here today they would say ‘Dad forgive him.’”
As for Mrs. Abdallah, she decided to forgive Davidson in a heart-wrenching speech she made just two days after the accident to save her family and marriage from the grief that could rip them apart.
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