Slim River Bus Crash

While it is saddening to read of deaths in the news, it is indeed more saddening to read about how it occured. Personally, its difficult for me to actually feel the depths of emotion associated with the death while reading about it in the newspaper. Its easier for me to read it, note it, and then turn the page.

However, when I found out that the particular girl in mention was a girlfriend (I think) of one of my juniors in high school, the reality of it suddenly hit much closer to home. I feel myself put into his shoes, and wondering how it would feel. Sudden death is much harder to deal with, I think, compared to a death that you have time to prepare for. When my mum was struggling with cancer for a year, I had that year to sort of steel myself for her death. As much as I did not want to think about it, sometimes, the thought does sometimes come unbidden to the mind, and in that way, I was sort of prepared to accept the inevitable, if and when it happened; and it did happen.

In this case, a life is taken suddenly, and it all just seems so wasted. That's why my thought goes out to the families and close ones of those who died on the bus.

Which brings me to another issue. With no disrespect to the girl in question, I'm wondering why she got so much more coverage that the other people (peoples?) who died in the same crash. I'm also not sure how many people actually died in that accident. I vaguely remember reading that there were 3 deaths, but then, looking at other reports, there were only 2. The first time I read about the accident, they were reporting that a girl died. A google search on her name turns up the said newspaper report, plus 6 or 7 other blogs on the same issue, all condemning the driver and the bus company, and wishing the girl's family well, and everything, but the same google search on the guy's name (obtained from Jayelleenelial) turns up nothing related.

Why is this?

Is it because she is a JPA/PSD scholar? Is it because she's studying medicine, or because she was a straight A student, a state swimmer, or an accomplished Girl Guide? Or is it because she has more friends, who all have access to blogs and therefore have more means to spread the news?

I hope I don't sound like I think the wide coverage on her death is a bad thing. No it is not. I too hope that the bus driver and the company would have action taken against them. I just want to know, who are the other person (or was it 2) who died? I'm sure their lives are no less valuable compared to the girl's, so where is the coverage on them?

To read more about this, just go to clink on the link to Jayelleenelial's site and there will be other links from there as well.