While driving home with his wife and six-month-old baby on 28 July 2024, Muhamad Sabri Bin Rusman witnessed a traffic accident on the Seletar Expressway (SLE) and decided to stop and help. Leaving his wife and child in the car, Sabri got out to assist. Tragically, he was struck by another vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene. His wife only learned of his death when a policeman approached her car to gather information, leaving her devastated.
Background
The accident occurred at around 2 am on the SLE towards the Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE). The police reported that the incident involved two cars and a motorcycle. A 35-year-old male car driver, identified as Sabri, was pronounced dead by a Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) paramedic. A 31-year-old male motorcyclist was taken to the hospital conscious, while a 32-year-old male car driver is assisting with the ongoing investigation.
Police investigating
The police confirmed they were alerted to the accident involving multiple vehicles. Investigations are ongoing, and they are seeking any additional information from witnesses. The family of Sabri is also appealing to the public for any details that could shed light on the incident.
A Good Samaritan
Sabri’s sister, Teti Rusydiah, described him as a respectful and helpful person. “On that fateful night, he was simply being his usual self and wanted to help after witnessing an accident,” she said. His wife added, “Since before we got married, he would always stop to assist road accidents. So on that night, I thought it was just another night. I know that his intentions were to help.”
While Sabri was outside the car, his wife heard a “loud bang” and tried to locate him but couldn’t. She was later approached by someone asking for their identity cards and told to wait. Eventually, a police officer held her son while she was asked to verify if the body covered by a white sheet was her husband’s. Upon realising it was Sabri, she cried out in grief.
What happened according to another driver
Shin Min Daily News reported on 29 July that a motorcyclist had struck the rear door of a car and fell to the ground. The driver, surnamed Zhang, stopped to help the motorcyclist. Zhang noted that Sabri had also stopped to assist. “The situation was quite hectic at the time,” Zhang recalled. “Another motorcyclist helped me move the injured rider to the shoulder of the road. Unexpectedly, about three minutes later, I heard a loud sound and realised that the male driver who had just gotten out of his car was hit by another black car and had fallen on the rightmost lane.”
The SCDF confirmed that a person was pronounced dead at the scene by a paramedic at a road traffic accident along SLE towards BKE before the Lentor Avenue exit on 28 July. Zhang also noted that there was a woman in the deceased’s vehicle who cried in grief when she later identified the body.
Remembered as hero
Sabri is remembered as a “hero” by those who knew him. Teti shared that the family is going through a “difficult period” and taking time to grieve. She was recently informed by the investigating officer that the available camera footage within the vicinity did not capture the entire incident. The family is now appealing to the public for any information about the accident to come forward and contact them.
“No matter what the outcome of the investigation will be, in our eyes, he’s forever a hero and that’ll be the story that we’ll tell his baby boy when he grows up,” Teti said.
