Danny Abdallah, whose three children and a niece were killed when a ute mounted a footpath and struck them in Sydney’s north-west in 2020, said the thing he still misses most is the "chaos" of family life — the noise and untidiness that once made his house a home.
The emotional remark came as Abdallah and his wife, Leila, marked Father’s Day five years after the crash on Feb. 1, 2020, in Oatlands. "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 told The Sunday Telegraph. "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."
On the afternoon of Feb. 1, 2020, a ute driven by Samuel Davidson mounted the kerb on Bettington Road and struck a group of children walking along the footpath outside the Oatlands Golf Club. Siblings Sienna, 8; Angelina, 12; and Antony, 13; and their cousin Veronique Sakr, 11, were killed. The four were among several children walking together at the time.
Davidson, 34 at the time of the crash, was reported to have been three times over the legal alcohol limit and under the influence of drugs when he lost control of the vehicle. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison with a non-parole period of 15 years; that sentence was reduced from 28 years on appeal.
In interviews since the tragedy, Abdallah has publicly described a decision to forgive Davidson, attributing it to his Christian faith and to the needs of his remaining family. "At the end of the day, I've still got three other kids. I need to be a father too and I need to be a husband to my wife," he told KIIS FM’s The Kyle & Jackie O. Abdallah said he considered whether to respond with "bitterness, anger and revenge, or love, compassion and forgiveness," and that his choices would affect his wider family.
The Abdallah and Sakr families launched the i4give foundation after the crash to honour the children and to promote forgiveness. The foundation marks Feb. 1 each year as an i4give day and aims to engage communities across Australia in what organizers describe as a shared embrace of forgiveness.
In 2024 the families unveiled a permanent memorial at the crash site consisting of four sandstone plinths featuring the children’s faces. Federal and state political figures attended the ceremony, including Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, former prime minister Scott Morrison, NSW Premier Chris Minns and former premier Dominic Perrottet.
Abdallah has also described periodic meetings with Davidson, saying the two now speak monthly. Video of one recent meeting was aired by Seven’s Spotlight in August. Abdallah said Davidson asks about the surviving children and about Leila, who the family reports recently gave birth to their eighth child.
"Anything you do in life is a choice, not a feeling," Abdallah said when discussing forgiveness. "Whether it's going to the gym, whether it's anything you do, and that's the same as forgiveness. It's not a feeling. It's a choice that you have to make." He has spoken about making decisions that prioritise the well-being of his surviving children and his marriage.
The crash and its aftermath prompted national conversation about drink-driving, community support for bereaved families and the role of forgiveness in recovery. Authorities prosecuted the driver and the Abdallahs have continued public advocacy through their foundation while also maintaining a private family life as they care for their remaining children.