Danny Abdallah said he still misses the ordinary disorder of family life five years after a crash in north‑west Sydney killed three of his children and a niece, describing the quiet of his home as a painful reminder of what was lost.
The collision occurred on February 1, 2020, when a ute mounted the kerb and struck a group of children walking on the footpath along Bettington Road in Oatlands. The crash killed siblings Sienna, 8, Angelina, 12, and Antony Abdallah, 13, and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11. The driver, Samuel Davidson, was found to be three times over the legal alcohol limit and under the influence of drugs at the time. Davidson was sentenced to 20 years in prison with a non‑parole period of 15 years after an initial 28‑year sentence was reduced on appeal.
Speaking on Father’s Day, Abdallah told The Sunday Telegraph he longed for the chaotic family life that the loss made impossible. "After what had happened to us, the saddest day was when I walked into the house and it was perfect … there was no mess," he said. "I used to wish for this and when I got it, I wish I had it the other way. So I tell parents, don't be upset when the house is dysfunctional and unorganised – because it becomes a home."
Abdallah and his wife, Leila, have publicly described forgiving Davidson as a deliberate decision grounded in their Christian faith and in the needs of their surviving children. Abdallah told KIIS FM’s Kyle & Jackie O that he chose forgiveness so his responses would not hollow his family: "Do I pour bitterness, anger and revenge, or love, compassion and forgiveness? Because whatever I give, it'll affect everyone in that circle."
The couple established the i4give foundation in the aftermath of the crash to honour the children and promote community engagement around forgiveness. The foundation marks an i4give day each year on February 1, the anniversary of the collision.
In 2024 the Abdallah and Sakr families unveiled a permanent memorial at the crash site outside Oatlands Golf Club, with four sandstone plinths bearing the children’s faces. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, former prime minister Scott Morrison, NSW Premier Chris Minns and former premier Dominic Perrottet attended the unveiling. Abdallah thanked his wife at the ceremony, describing her as his "pillar of strength".
Abdallah has also described meeting and speaking with Davidson since the sentencing. He said the two men now speak each month and that Abdallah decided to visit Davidson in prison to show the public what their conversations involved. A meeting between them was filmed by a television crew and aired in August. Abdallah said visiting reshaped his perception of the man convicted in the crash: "I realised this guy could have been my son, could have been my mate. You see things in a greater perspective. It's not just you've done wrong by me but what's going on? What's happened to his family?"
Abdallah and his wife continue to raise their remaining children. He said the work of maintaining family life and supporting his wife and other children informed his decision to offer forgiveness. "Anything you do in life is a choice, not a feeling," he said, adding that forgiveness, like other deliberate actions, is a decision that must be made.
The crash, the families’ response and the foundation have prompted national conversation about road safety, alcohol and drugs, and the role of forgiveness in public life. The Abdallahs have said they aim to keep the memory of the children alive while assisting other families affected by tragedy through the i4give foundation and public outreach.