'I thought it was just another night': Wife and family of good Samaritan killed in SLE accident seek witnesses

The family of a man who was killed in July while attempting to help an injured motorcyclist is looking for witnesses to the accident.

Muhamad Sabri, 35, was travelling along Seletar Expressway (SLE) towards Bukit Timah Expressway (BKE) on the early morning of July 28 when he exited his vehicle to assist a man who had collided with a private-hire vehicle.

The private-hire driver surnamed Zhang told Shin Min Daily News then: "I think the motorcyclist was trying to switch lanes and somehow hit my right rear door and then fell to the ground. I immediately got out of the car to help."

He added that "the situation was quite hectic" and that another motorcyclist had helped him move the injured man to the road shoulder.

"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 43-year-old added.

Sabri was pronounced dead at the scene at around 2am by a paramedic from the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), according to the police.

Zhang added that a woman, later revealed to be Sabri's wife, was in their car at the time. She was instructed to exit the car and identify the driver's body, and cried out in grief.

She spoke to Mothership in a Sept 12 report, saying: "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."

The 31-year-old also told Shin Min that she would rely on her husband as he was the breadwinner of the family. She still sometimes wakes up "thinking that he will come back to us".

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The deceased motorist's sister, who goes by Teti Rusydiah Rusman on Facebook, also shared a plea "seeking witnesses and camera footage" on Sept 11.

"It has been one-and-a-half months since the incident and we were just told by the IO (investigating officer) handling this investigation that all the camera footage from expressway cameras and vehicle cams don't show the whole accident," she wrote.

She asked witnesses or motorists who may have recorded the accident on their dashboard cameras to send her a direct message or contact 999.

"This will really help with the investigation, and hopefully give us some closure to this unfortunate event," she added.

Rusman also told Shin Min that her brother was a respectful and helpful person who enjoyed mountaineering and cycling.

'His departure has had a big impact on his family and friends," the 34-year-old tutor added.

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drimac@asiaone.com