Another pain

(Baonghean.vn) - The ancients used to say: "Fortune and misfortune go hand in hand." This means that joy can come quickly, but if one is not careful, sorrow can also follow… The accident on the way to a wedding proposal, which killed 3 people and injured 4 in Nam Dan district, is a heartbreaking story like that. The deceased are destined for the dead. The pain is for those left behind. This accident serves as another wake-up call to everyone when participating in traffic.

The scene of the accident that resulted in 8 casualties (internet image).

The joy and hope for a happy and fulfilling life for Mr. Le Van Minh's family (46 years old, Nam Trung commune, Nam Dan district) suddenly vanished like a bubble. The wedding procession for Mr. Minh's son, consisting of seven relatives from both sides of the family, set off from Nam Trung (Nam Dan) to Bac Giang at midnight. After traveling for four hours, they reached Ha Trung town in Thanh Hoa province when the accident occurred.

The tragic accident resulted in casualties among all eight people (including the driver), with three fatalities: Mr. Le Van Mui (48 years old), Mr. Nguyen Van Tan (62 years old), and Mr. Nguyen Thai Hoa (29 years old). Five people were injured: Mr. Le Van Minh, Mr. Le Van Binh (44 years old), Mr. Le Van Tuan (23 years old, Mr. Minh's son), Mr. Nguyen Van Xuan (59 years old), and the driver, Ho Tuan Sau (49 years old)... Good news didn't come; bad news arrived. What was supposed to be a joyous occasion suddenly turned into a day of great mourning.

Present at the homes of the deceased victims on the day of the funeral, I witnessed the overwhelming grief: Mothers, wives, and children who suddenly lost their sons, husbands, and fathers were left speechless by the immense shock.

Happiness is the same, but the pain is different. Mrs. Le Thi Bich (61 years old, wife of Mr. Nguyen Van Tan - the groom's maternal uncle) not only lost her husband but also her son-in-law, Mr. Nguyen Thai Hoa.

From the moment she received the tragic news until now, after the funeral, Mrs. Bich has been fainting repeatedly and still hasn't regained her composure. She keeps calling out her husband's name: "My dear husband, when you left you told me to eat well and get well before you came back. But now you're not coming back, how am I supposed to live?" While she grieves for herself, Mrs. Bich grieves even more for her son's early widowhood.

Mrs. Bich fainted from grief over the loss of her husband and son.

At Mr. Hoa's house in Hamlet 10, Nam Cuong Commune, Ms. Nguyen Thi Gai (27 years old, Mr. Hoa's wife) lay motionless on the small bed that had recently been warm with incense burning, showing no desire to eat or drink. The young wife continuously wailed, calling out for her husband and lamenting how fate could have so cruelly taken away her and her child. She had been married to Mr. Hoa for nearly three years. Every day, Mr. Hoa worked as a construction laborer to earn money, while Ms. Gai worked as a contract teacher for a school in the commune. Their life wasn't luxurious, but it was always warm and peaceful. And then, suddenly, she lost her husband, and her son, Nguyen Duc Hung (18 months old), lost his father.

The young wife's sobs were heart-wrenching, her cries filled with agonizing pain: "How could you leave me and our child? Before you left, you promised to buy gifts for our child and me. We don't need gifts, we just want you to come home." Tears couldn't bring him back. Out of love for his son, daughter-in-law, and grandchild, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Duong (64 years old, Hoa's father) struggled to hold back the tears welling up in his eyes as he worried about the funeral arrangements. He loved his son and grandchild dearly, but he was also getting old: "I never imagined my son would really be gone. His wife and child are so young and innocent; how will they live without their husband?"

The young widow has lost the strong shoulder she could lean on forever.

Sharing the same grief over the loss of a loved one, Mrs. Le Thi Xuan (45 years old, wife of the victim Le Van Mui) choked back tears and sobbed: "My husband worked hard for years to raise his children, and now that the children are grown, I thought we old folks could finally relax, but who would have thought he would leave me now." For the past two days, Mrs. Xuan has been trying to stay strong with intravenous fluids.

Mr. Mui and Mrs. Xuan have three children; two are currently working abroad in Malaysia and Taiwan, and their youngest daughter has just finished her university entrance exams. Upon hearing the news of their father's death, Mr. Mui's two children immediately flew back to Vietnam to mourn him…

The accident plunged many families into grief. The journey began with joy for the bride and groom's wedding day, but in an instant, that joyous occasion turned into a day of great sorrow.

Mrs. Xuan was heartbroken because her husband had gone away and never returned.

"When one horse is sick, the whole stable suffers," said Nguyen Thi Hong Thao, a neighbor of the victims. "Hearing the tragic news, everyone was shocked and deeply saddened. For the past two days, neighbors and relatives of the families have gathered to help with the preparations for receiving the coffins, burying the unfortunate victims, and comforting those left behind."

At 5 PM on July 19th, the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee's vehicle transported the deceased victims back to their former homes. The authorities, various departments and organizations, and the people of Nam Trung and Nam Cuong communes assisted with funeral arrangements for Mr. Hoa at 6 AM, for Mr. Tan at 12 PM, and for Mr. Mui at 3 PM on July 20th…

To help alleviate some of the grief for the victims' families, on the morning of July 20th, representatives from the Provincial Traffic Safety Committee visited and offered condolences, giving 3 million VND to each family of a deceased victim and 2 million VND to each injured person.

Also on the morning of July 20th, Mr. Dinh Xuan Que - Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Dan district and leaders of various departments visited to offer condolences and provide support, giving 3 million VND to each family of a deceased victim and 1 million VND to each family with an injured member.

Mr. Le Trong Luong, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of the People's Committee of Nam Trung commune, said: "Sharing the grief of the families, for the past two days, officials of Nam Trung commune have been constantly present, sharing the workload with the victims' families. Initially, the commune has also provided each family with a deceased victim with 1 million VND, and each family with an injured person with 500,000 VND."

Those who have passed away accept their fate, but those left behind remain forever immersed in pain and an irreplaceable loss. Even more sadly, on average, the country sees over 420,000 traffic accidents each year… Because life doesn't have "what ifs," we hope everyone will obey traffic laws, be cautious, and slow down when participating in traffic. While we know that fortune and misfortune are unpredictable, caution is always better!

Zen Thanh