PUTRAJAYA, Nov 21 — What was supposed to be a smooth drive home after a rainy evening for Sukri Dollah quickly turned into a nightmare when he lost control of his motorcycle in 2016. 

Sukri, 40, who is now paralysed from the neck down and fully dependent on his wife’s care, said he never expected such an incident to happen to him.

"I still remember clearly how it happened. On March 3, I was riding my motorcycle from Bangsar to Semenyih after the rain had stopped, but I lost control and hit a divider on a highway,” he said at the National Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims yesterday. 

"No bones were broken, but I fell on my neck and this is why I’m paralysed.

"Just one second of losing control of my motorcycle changed my whole life, I can no longer do anything on my own,” he said. 

Recalling the terrifying moment he was forced into a corner by a car, Zakri Kamaruddin, who now works at the National Registration Department, said he went through a severe bout of depression.

"It was a hit and run in May 2000. I was hit by a car while trying to avoid another car that was coming into my lane,” he said. 

"I felt so useless because my parents were forced to resign from their jobs to take care of me.

"People don’t realise how precious their bodies are until they lose control of it, to have my mobility taken away due to an accident is something I will always use to remind others to be careful of when on the road,” said Zakri who is now wheelchair-bound. 

Another road accident victim, Mohd Nor Saad, was hit by a car from the back and lost his eyesight in March 2008. 

"I don’t know why the person hit me, it never should have happened but this is my life now,” he said tearfully at the event.

"One can never be too careful on the road, never use your phone or drive when you’re sleepy.

"Make sure to abide by all the road traffic rules because if an accident happens it doesn’t just affect you but others around you,” said Zakri.