The family of three Oatlands car crash victims have revealed how their daughter inspired them to celebrate Christmas in their fallen children’s honour.
Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 9, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed in the horrific car crash that shocked Australia on February 1.
Samuel William Davidson was high on a cocktail of alcohol, cocaine and MDMA when he lost control of his car at 140km/h and swerved off the road in Sydney’s north-west and ploughed into the group of children.
The loss devastated the Abdallah family and ten months later, parents Danny and Leila were not in a celebratory mood for the upcoming Christmas break.
Christmas Eve would have been Angelina’s 13th birthday and was looking to be another sorrow reminder of the tragic accident that broke the family.
It wasn’t until their 11-year-old daughter Liana motioned to her younger brothers Alex, 6, and Michael, 4, and changed her family’s perspective on the celebration.
Daniel Abdallah (back right) and his wife Leila (back) lost three of their six children in the crash. Antony (far left), Angelina (far right), and Sienna (front left), were killed instantly while on their way to get ice cream
Their 11-year-old cousin Veronique Sakr (right, with her mother Bridget and brother Michael) was also killed
‘We’ve lost our brother and sisters and we’re going to lose Christmas too?’ Liana said, as reported by The Daily Telegraph.
Liana’s view brought the family from not wanting to put up a Christmas tree to bringing them closer together to celebrate with each other.
‘We decided to say, “you know what? No, it’s not about us, it’s about our kids”,’ Mr Abdallah said.
‘And we decided to put up the Christmas tree and get together as a family. We’re doing it for the kids more than anything else.’
Despite Davidson’s horrific crime, the Abdallah family have forgiven the 30-year-old after the tragedy.
Samuel William Davidson, 30, has pleaded guilty to killing Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 9, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, at Oatlands, in Sydney’s north-west, on February 1
Davidson’s shattered parents told Daily Mail Australia ahead of his court appearance that there are ‘no winners’ from the tragedy
The Abdallah and Sakr families have launched i4give day to be held on the anniversary of the crash on February 1 to encourage people to give and receive forgiveness in their lives.
Mr Abdallah said forgiving Davidson had helped him process the loss of his children.
‘There’s a lot of psychological benefits … not just for yourself, but the impact on your family,’ he said.
Davidson pleaded guilty to four manslaughter charges in Parramatta Local Court in October.
Mr and Mrs Abdallah and Bob and Bridgitte Sakr, the parents of the victims, did not attend court to see Davidson enter the plea.
Davidson will be sentenced for his crimes on November 20.
Davidson’s parents previously told Daily Mail Australia there were ‘no winners’ from the events of that February night.
Allan and Kay Davidson said that despite their son’s shocking mistake he was a ‘good boy’, but acknowledged that would not bring the four innocent victims back.
Allan and Kay Davidson (pictured in February) said that despite his shocking mistake there son was always a ‘good boy’, but they acknowledged that would not bring the four innocent victims back
Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna Abdallah, 9, were three of the four victims killed in the horrific crash that shocked Australia in Sydney’s north-west on February 1
‘There are no winners out of this. It has ruined everyone’s lives,’ Mr Davidson, an ex-policeman, said.
‘You can only do so much as a parent. He only moved down to Sydney last year and a few months later and his life is ruined.’
‘He is a good boy. But I know that doesn’t bring those kids back,’ his wife said.
‘His Facebook page does him no favours, he looks like a party boy but he wasn’t.
‘He was not in his right mind when he did that, because he would never even think of doing anything like that if he was not on anything.’
Davidson had spent almost the entirety of February 1 – a sweltering summer day – partying with his two housemates at their rental property in Oatlands.
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That evening at about 7.45pm, Davidson got into his car with a passenger and drove to a nearby petrol station to get cash out.
The backyard and swimming pool at the rental property Davidson shared with two mates at Oatlands, in Sydney’s north west
Davidson had been drinking with friends at home before he got behind the wheel of his ute. He drove to a Caltex service station about 1.8km away to get cash out. While on his way home, he ran a red light before crashing into a group of seven children – killing four
Davidson had been to the nearby Caltex petrol station on Pennant Hills Rd (pictured) to withdraw cash from an ATM and was returning home when the accident happened
CCTV footage captured Davidson’s 4WD speeding on Bettington Road before the fatal crash. He was travelling at speeds of close to 140km/h when he lost control of the vehicle
CCTV captured the blue Mitsubishi 4WD driving along Bettington Road on their way to the petrol station.
As they drove down the steep hill on the same road just minutes later, Davidson lost control of his vehicle at an speed of close to 140km/h.
The car swerved off the road to the left and ploughed into a group of seven children.
Four of the young relatives were killed instantly while another cousin, Charbel Kassas suffered serious injuries that left him in a coma for several weeks.
Despite doctors fearing he would not survive, he is now incredibly on his way to a full recover.
In the aftermath of the crash thousands of friends, family and well wishers from right across Sydney flocked to the makeshift shrine on Bettington Road to pay tribute and leave flowers.
Some of the most poignant moments in the wake of the tragedy came from the Abdallah family.
Just hours after the crash and before he had been able to comprehend the loss three of his six children, Mr Abdallah fronted cameras to share stories about their lives.
Danny and Leila Abdallah were regulars at the scene in the days after the crash and prayed for the four innocent children with family, friends and well wishers from all across Sydney
‘My name is Daniel Abdallah. I have a wife, Leila, and six beautiful children I’ve been blessed with. Yesterday, I lost three of my children,’ he said, fighting back tears.
‘I’m numb. All I just want to say is please, drivers, be careful. These kids were just walking innocently, enjoying each others’ company and this morning I woke up, I’ve lost three kids.
‘I told them to go for a little walk, to stay together, you guys should be OK. Give them a little bit of independence. This is one in a million [chance]. They were just walking on the footpath.
‘Antony is 13, very handsome boy. He loved basketball. He woke up that morning and said: “We’re going to play this game for Kobe [Bryant]”.
‘Angelina, she was my MLH, my little helper. Anything I needed, she had my back.
‘Sienna, she was my little diva, my little actress.
‘They’ve gone to a better place.’
The next day Mr Abdallah was joined at the scene by his wife who incredibly pledged to forgive Davidson.
Micheal Sakr, 9, holds his mother Bridget’s hand for support as they visit the scene of the tragedy where Veronique, 11, was killed
‘The guy [Davidson], I know he was [allegedly] drunk, driving on this street… right now I can’t hate him. I don’t want to see him, [but] I don’t hate him,’ she said.
‘I think in my heart to forgive him, but I want the court to be fair. It’s all about fairness. I’m not going to hate him, because that’s not who we are.’
Mrs Abdallah’s amazing gesture came despite people close to them offering to carry out an act of vengeance for their enormous loss.
Davidson struck a deal with the NSW Director of Public Prosecutions in September to have several of his charges dropped in exchange for a guilty plea.
The move ensures the struggling families did not have to endure a weeks’ long trial.
Davidson is still facing a maximum sentence of life in prison, although is likely to see a lesser sentence imposed because of his early guilty plea.
The Abdallah and Sakr families have launched i4give day to be held on the anniversary of the crash on February 1 to encourage people to give and receive forgiveness in their lives. Pictured: the Abdallah family at a vigil held for their children in February
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