S'porean man, 20, dies in M'sia accident before he could attend NS passing-out parade

For Kartini Mohd Kamil, the blue pattern painted on the wall of her Bedok home is now one of the many memories left behind by her son, Lutfi Adib Yusof.

“I still remember how he did it. It has become a very precious memory for us,” Kartini, 56, told Berita Harian (BH), while holding back tears.

Her son, whom she described as cheerful, loving and helpful, died in a road accident near Machap, Johor, at around 5am on May 31.

The accident happened slightly over a week before his passing-out parade (POP) on Jun. 7.

“The light of my life”

Speaking to BH, Kartini said that Lutfi was a cheerful child who had many friends.

“Many people told me he was someone who liked to help others,” she said.

“He was truly a good son. Since young, he loved singing and playing music. He played the guitar, then asked me to sing along with him, and we recorded the singing.”

She added: “In whatever he did, he would give it his all. Now, all of this is left as memories.”

Kartini said Lutfi had been supportive of her even when he was young and she was going through a divorce.

When she later remarried, Lutfi accepted it and gave his blessing, she said.

“He was truly the light of my life,” Kartini said.

Loved music, went for umrah with his mother

Lutfi had loved singing and playing music since he was young, according to BH.

He had also performed umrah, a minor Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, with his mother when he was 12.

Kartini said she still remembered how Lutfi was once featured in BH when he was in primary school, after taking part in a youth outreach programme at Tampines West Community Club.

These memories have taken on new meaning for the family after his death.

Last journey to Port Dickson

Lutfi’s eldest brother, Muhammad Ashraf Yusof, 28, told BH that Lutfi had left home for Johor Bahru and reached a motorcycle workshop at around 10:30pm.

There, he changed his motorcycle exhaust and waited for his friends.

However, the group was delayed and told him they would only arrive after 3am. Lutfi was supposed to meet his friend at BPoint in Johor Bahru.

Lutfi later decided to continue the journey to Port Dickson alone, without waiting for his friends.

He then went to Machap to refuel.

His friend, Shahrul Nizam Nor Rizal, 24, and the others later saw Lutfi’s location near a petrol station in Machap through the Life360 app.

“As Lutfi was not replying to messages, we tried contacting workshops in the area that we usually visit to ask if anyone had seen him,” Shahrul said.

He added that Lutfi was riding his motorcycle at the time, and he believed someone would recognise it.

The group eventually contacted a Malaysian man who was in the area.

“The man told us he had seen someone riding my motorcycle and that the motorcycle appeared to be having problems,” Shahrul said.

A video shown by Lutfi’s family showed him lying by the roadside, according to BH, wearing a bright blue jacket and a white helmet. The video was recorded by the same Malaysian man.

“I knew he was going to leave us”

Kartini said that on the morning of May 31, she had felt unusually still.

She told BH:

“Usually when I wake up in the morning, I would wash the dishes or hang out the laundry. That morning, I just sat still and stared blankly. I myself did not know why."

She said she was reciting prayers when the house phone rang — something she said rarely happened in the morning.

The call was from her daughter, who told her that Lutfi had been in an accident.

“In my heart, I kept praying that we would be able to see him in time. When we arrived at the hospital and saw everyone crying, deep down, I knew he was going to leave us,” Kartini said.

“Lutfi is gone. I wanted him to go peacefully. We could not keep wailing or act irrationally.”

Lutfi’s body was buried at Pusara Aman in Singapore at around 11am on Jun. 1.

Motorcycle believed to have broken down

Preliminary investigations found that the accident happened at the North-South Expressway in Batu Pahat, Johor.

Lutfi was believed to have been travelling to Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan, when the motorcycle he was riding developed mechanical problems.

He then stopped in the emergency lane before a lorry travelling in the same direction lost control and crashed into the motorcycle.

Lutfi suffered severe head injuries and died while being taken to Sultanah Nora Ismail Hospital.

The 45-year-old lorry driver was not injured.