"I can't leave you darling." The crash that killed four children and left a community grieving.

On a sticky summer Saturday evening siblings Antony, 13, Angelina, 12, and Sienna, 9, their cousin Veronique, 11, and three kids from their extended family went to get ice cream.

They wouldn’t usually go alone, but Daniel Abdallah thought his kids deserved a treat before he and his wife went out for the night and left them with the babysitter.

Thanks to daylight savings, it was still light when the group set out from their north-western Sydney suburb of Oatlands for the local shops. They were talking and giggling as they set out on their adventure.

Meanwhile, builder Samuel William Davidson also felt like heading to the shops.

He’d been drinking all afternoon at home, and hopped behind the wheel of his dual cab 4WD Mitsubishi ute. His mate hopped in the front passenger seat.

At 8pm, Samuel allegedly drove through a red light after leaving a Caltex, and shortly afterwards veered onto the wrong side of the road, mounted the kerb and hit and killed Anthony, Angelina, Sienna and Veronique.

An 11-year-old is critically injured, and a 10-year-old and 13-year-old are in serious but stable conditions.

From the backyard of her home, Margret Primc was able to see across Oatlands Golf Course to the Bettington Road crash scene and ran to help when she heard a little girl scream.

"Help me, help me please," she recalled hearing while speaking to the Daily Mail.

When she got there, another neighbour was performing CPR on Angelina and she quickly joined in.

"There I was doing mouth-to-mouth on this 12-year-old and the paramedics came and checked her vitals," Margret told the publication.

"They pronounced her dead but there were injured kids everywhere so they had to try to help them. I thought 'I can't leave you darling', so I stayed with her for a while like a mother," she said.

"I just sat there for a while and stroked her head and kissed her on the forehead, and tidied her top a bit because it had ridden up," she added.

"You don't want to know what I saw, you really don't. It's the stuff of nightmares," another resident, a friend of the family told the Daily Mail of the scene he stumbled on after he too heard a little girl's screams.

"I ran down and was there within 10 to 15 seconds and they were gone. Some of the neighbours performed CPR but they were gone. We just can't believe it. They are the last people this deserved to happen to," he said.

Daniel and wife Leila were called immediately and were on the scene before the ambulance had even arrived.

NSW Ambulance Acting Superintendent Andrew McAlpine told Yahoo paramedics arrived to a horrific scene.

"When the first crews arrived on scene they were met with carnage, a very, very difficult scene with a lot of chaos," he said.

Driver Samuel, 29, was allegedly three times over the legal alcohol limit when the accident happened.

He has been charged with 20 offences including four counts of manslaughter, dangerous driving occasioning death and grievous bodily harm, negligent driving and drink-driving.

He'll next appear in court in April.

"I have lost three kids."

On Sunday morning, Daniel Abdallah addressed the media cameras.

"Yesterday, I lost three of my children,” the tearful father-of-six said.

"I had a cousin, Bridget, she lost her daughter as well. I don’t know what to say. I’m numb, probably that’s how I feel at the moment.

"All I just want to say is please, drivers, be careful. These kids were just walking innocently, enjoying each others’ company, and this morning I woke up – I have lost three kids.

"Please, just, make sure you love your loved ones, your kids especially."

In a tribute to his three children, Daniel said Antony was a "very handsome boy" who "loved basketball," Angelina was his "little helper" and Sienna was "my little diva, little actress".

Leila was pictured tearfully paying tribute to her kids at the crash site which had been littered with flowers, teddy bears, balloons and candles.

"He is so, so sorry."

On Monday, Samuel's parents Allan and Kay Davidson spoke to 9News from their Central Coast home.

Through tears they revealed they too lost a child a decade ago, telling the broadcaster, "We're absolutely devastated for the lives of those children".

"We're no stranger to grief, we lost a daughter ten years ago, and now effectively, we've lost a son."

"Those poor families have lost their children. No words can help them, and I'm so sorry to them,' said Allan, a retired NSW police detective adding that his son, "has a good heart".

"I'm sure he's just as devastated as we are and understands the consequences for his [alleged] actions. We won't be seeing him for many years, I'm sure," he added.

Their son is being held in isolation behind bars, and Kay says he is in deep regret.

"He was very quiet. He was just in shock as well. He is so, so sorry. He can't believe what's happened, happened," she told 9News.

"I can't hate him."

An emotional roadside vigil was held last night at the spot where the four children died.

Hundreds of mourners attended - among them the heartbroken parents. The victim's families are believed to be members of the local Maronite Christian community on Oatlands, and are well known.

A priest led the gathered crowd through a recital of the Lord's Prayer and the stations of the cross.

Leila, the mother of Sienna, Angelina and Antony, said she forgave Samuel as she visited the scene of the tragedy on Monday.

"I think in my heart I forgive him. But I want the court to be fair. I'm not going to hate him because that's not who we are," she told reporters.

"It feels very unreal. I feel like I'm still waiting for them to come home."

Parramatta Eels legend Tim Mannah is the cousin of Daniel Abdallah, and he posted a touching message to his heartbroken family on Instagram.

"Heartbroken. Still trying to comprehend it all. I have looked up to my cousin Danny since I was a kid," he wrote.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Heartbroken. Still trying to comprehend it all. I have looked up to my cousin Danny since I was a kid. I’ve always admired his huge heart for others and especially his children. His wife, Leila, is an actual hero. She raises six kids with ease and grace. Her life revolves around them. And just like that, they’ve lost three children. Can’t imagine what pain they must be feeling right now, but my admiration for them has gone to a new level. They live out their faith and it inspires everyone around them. Antony, Angelina and Sienna may not have lived long lives on earth, but their impact will echo into eternity. Psalm 34:18

A post shared by Tim Mannah (@tim_mannah) on Feb 3, 2020 at 1:59am PST

"We need a more serious response to driving under the influence."

The tragedy has renewed a push for a road rules overhaul in NSW.

Sydney University professor David Levinson says the NSW government should look at lower residential speed limits and tougher drink-driving penalties.

"We need a more serious response to driving under the influence. It's not taken seriously enough in our society," Prof Levinson told AAP on Monday.

"Speed limits are also relatively high. If you hit someone at a high speed you do more damage and are more likely to kill them."

A big showing of support tonight at the Oatlands crash site. Hundreds attend a vigil in honour of the four children taken from their families too soon @9NewsSyd pic.twitter.com/JRrfQukYXG

— Elizabeth Bryan (@LizzyBryan1) February 3, 2020

Pedestrian Council of Australia chief executive Harold Scruby told AAP on Monday there should be no tolerance for drink-driving.

"Why are all other drugs prohibited but we have a tolerance for alcohol?" he said.

"What we want is zero drinking. No drink or driving at all. This is a wake-up call."

Trauma surgeon Dr John Crozier says there is an "irrefutable" link between drink-driving and crashing.

He says NSW should reduce the breath alcohol limit from 0.05 to 0.02.

"The lower threshold of 0.02, which Norway uses with good effect, allows the opportunity for example of somebody who has consumed a small amount of cough medicine, for example," he told the ABC.

Residents in Oatlands are also angry about the road where the crash occurred, telling Daily Mail cars regularly run off the road at the same point.

One resident recalled that in 2016, a drunk driver hit a car on the same road, and it ended up similarly in the fence of the Oatlands golf course.

Note: Mamamia has updated the article to remove information about scam accounts to avoid confusion. The family have informed MyCause that they aren't in need of financial support at this time.

Feature image: Facebook.

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