The pain of children orphaned by traffic accidents
After many tragic accidents, after the passing of their parents, there are children. Not directly suffering physical pain, but the mental trauma of orphans is immeasurable.
The story of the three Quyen sisters
The incident happened nearly 2 years ago, the parents' altar is almost gone, but for the 3 sisters Truong Thi Quyen (born 2006), Truong Thi Nhu Quynh (born 2010) and Truong Van Tuan (born 2012), the pain of being orphaned still lingers, clinging to them, the difficulties both material and mental have not been overcome.
In Hung Thang hamlet, Nghia Duc commune, Nghia Dan district, everyone knows the heartbreaking story of the three sisters Quyen, Quynh and Tuan. The father of the three sisters is Truong Van Quyet, the mother is Nguyen Thi Than. Before 2022, due to difficult family circumstances, Quyet suffered from stomach disease, poor health, and worked as a construction worker near home, so Than went to work as a factory worker far from home, hoping to earn more income to raise her children. At the end of August 2022, on the occasion of the September 2nd holiday, Than decided to return to her hometown to grow sugarcane and take care of her husband and children. Before the joy of reunion was complete, aaccidentThe tragic incident at Nghia Tien gas station took the lives of both husband and wife. The three school-age children were left helpless and shocked by the great loss... At that time, of the three sisters, only Quyen was fully aware of the situation. Although she was in great pain, she quickly got up and became a strong support for her younger siblings. The two younger siblings, old enough to understand death, but not old enough to overcome the loss, were sick for the next year because they missed their parents.
The family has only two brothers. Now that his brother and his wife have passed away, Mr. Truong Van Tang has taken care of his grandchildren and taken care of his sick mother, who is over 70 years old. With many children (4) and their main income from agriculture, the financial burden on Mr. Tang and his wife has become even greater. “At that time, the person who caused the accident compensated the family 20 million VND, which was not enough for the funeral. We sued them but they accepted to go to jail and have not paid any more compensation. Fortunately, Quyen and her sisters received a subsidy of 540 thousand VND/person/month from the State and a complete exemption of tuition fees. Otherwise, we would not know how to manage,” Mr. Truong Van Tang shared.
The disadvantages do not stop there. Among the three sisters, the eldest sister Truong Thi Quyen has the most outstanding academic achievements. At every level of education, Quyen has received a Certificate of Merit and has been recognized by teachers. In the past, Quyen also dreamed of going to university. But after her parents passed away, that dream also died with them. "Now I have decided to learn a trade so that I can go to work early, take care of my younger siblings and help my uncle. My uncle also has a hard life and my grandmother is constantly sick, I cannot be a burden to everyone forever" - Quyen confided.
In the dilapidated house where the three Quyen sisters lived with their grandmother, the emptiness, disappointment and sadness still lingered, heavy. The sadness on the altar had not yet gone away, on the deserted bench, on the dinner table without people, on the garden that had not been taken care of for a long time... There were also times when the children were happy with their friends and forgot about their own losses and disadvantages. But the economic burdens and mental losses never disappeared, they remained deep in the souls of the children, and remained in the dim eyes of the elderly.
The children stay
The Quyen sisters are three of many children orphaned by traffic accidents. Traffic accidents happen, the deceased are gone, but there are still orphans with a long life ahead of them…
Known as an active person in social activities, Ms. Nguyen Thi Oanh has supported and helped many unfortunate situations, many of which were victims of traffic accidents. When asked about a case that recently made her heartbroken and haunted, she told about the family of Mr. Duong Van Tung and Ms. Le Thi Thuy, Hamlet 5, Hung Linh Commune, Hung Nguyen District. “Mr. Tung and Ms. Thuy’s family are near-poor households, and Mr. Tung had cancer, and the treatment process was expensive, requiring loans from everywhere. Although the family tried their best, due to the serious illness, Mr. Tung could not survive and passed away at the end of 2023. Her husband had just finished 100 days when Ms. Le Thi Thuy had an accident on the way home from work and died on the spot. The pain was too much to bear, and the couple’s eldest daughter, Duong Thi Mai Phuong (grade 9), cut her tendons and committed suicide. Fortunately, she was discovered in time and taken for surgery, so her life was saved. Before that, Mai’s younger brother, Duong Manh Dung (grade 7), also went to Bach Mai Hospital for a check-up and discovered a cyst in his brain…” - Ms. Oanh shared.
The image of Dung holding a cane sitting next to his mother's coffin, with his father's altar behind him, made everyone feel heartbroken. The grandparents of both children are old and need someone to take care of them, and now they have to endure the pain to be a support for their grandchildren.
Four days after Ms. Thuy's traffic accident, on January 6, 2024, there was a serious traffic accident that occurred at 4:00 a.m. on Provincial Road 542B, Pham Hong Thai Street, in Hamlet 4, Hung Phuc Commune, Hung Nguyen District. The accident killed a couple and left three children orphaned. Such tragic events, such unfortunate lives, such helpless children can happen at any time, anywhere, after just one minute of negligence or carelessness when participating in traffic.
In the first 6 months of 2024, the whole province had 174 traffic accidents, killing 101 people and injuring 111 people. Compared to the same period in 2023, there were 27 fewer cases (down 13.4%); the number of deaths decreased by 29 people (down 22.3%); and 27 fewer injuries (down 19.6%). Of which, there were 72 less serious traffic accidents, 86 serious traffic accidents, and 8 very serious traffic accidents.
(According to the Report of the Provincial People's Committee)
Once an orphan and an indirect victim of a traffic accident, Ms. Phan Thi Hoai (Thai Hoa town) still cannot forget her painful memories, even though the incident happened 15 years ago.
“At that time, my family was very poor, and my younger brother had a serious kidney disease. To have money to raise and treat their child, my parents spent all day on the fields, rarely going out on the main roads. In 2009, while driving to the doctor, my parents had a traffic accident and both of them died. My world at that time seemed to collapse, I was scared and extremely lonely. Thousands of questions surrounded me every night that I could not answer for myself, who would take care of us, who would treat my younger brother, who would defend and protect us... Material deprivation can be compensated, but mental trauma cannot. Until now, even though I have a family, am a wife and a mother, I still have my own obsessions and fears. Every timetraffic, I always drive very carefully, very slowly and can stop the car if I am not confident in handling the situation. The painful memories of the past cannot be "healed" - Ms. Hoai shared.
Perhaps the pain that Ms. Hoai and the children orphaned by their parents in traffic accidents feel is like the wound on Duong Thi Mai Phuong's wrist, deeply engraved, and even if it heals, it will still leave a scar.
