Malayalam actor Shine Tom Chacko opened up about the car accident that claimed the life of his father, C.P. Chacko, revealing the emotional trauma it left on his family. Speaking to The Cue, Shine said that until his personal loss, news stories on the deaths of parents were mere stories.

"Until my father’s death, the death of other people’s parents was just news for me," Shine said.

"After going through that, I cried on the road, hoping someone would help or get us to a hospital."

The accident occurred on the Hosur National Highway near Palakkad in Tamil Nadu’s Dharmapuri district. Shine’s left hand was injured. His mother, Mary Carmal, and brother, Jo John, also sustained injuries. The driver, however, escaped unhurt.

Recounting the moment, Shine said:

“I was lying in the back seat. Instead of smoking, I had developed this habit of eating something, like a biscuit. I would wake up and ask Dad for a biscuit. He gave me some two or three times. Then, when I opened my eyes again, the car had crashed."

From that moment, his father never spoke again, he said. “Mummy kept asking, ‘Why are we lying on the road? Where are we going?’”

Shine explained that he had taken medication to help him sleep early — part of his recovery from addiction. "To make sure I sleep, they give me the medicine, and Dad arranges for someone else to drive. He never asks me to drive."

Reflecting on the trauma, he added, "If me or my brother had gone before our parents, it would have been unbearable for them. I can’t imagine the pain of parents losing their children in front of their eyes."

‘Mum couldn’t even see him for the last time’

Since the accident, Shine said, his mother has been repeatedly asking about her husband’s whereabouts.

“Mummy would keep asking, ‘Where is Daddy? Where is Daddy?’ He was right beside us, travelling in the next seat. I would say, ‘Daddy is with us; he hasn't gone anywhere.’ Then I’d cry. I’d hope she would understand. But after a while, she’d ask again, ‘Where is Daddy?’”

Shine said, “She is the one who lost the most. She lost her companion.”