Actor Shine Tom Chacko was involved in a serious car accident in Dharmapuri near Salem, Tamil Nadu, in June. The actor lost his father, C.P. Chacko (73), in the accident. Photos and videos of a heartbroken Shine bidding farewell to his father had surfaced on the internet. Now, for the first time, the actor has opened up about the fatal incident and how he is coping with his father’s death.
‘I opened my eyes, the vehicle had already crashed’
In an interview with The Cue, Shine Tom Chacko said, “So I was lying in the back seat. I’d wake up from sleep and ask daddy for a biscuit. daddy gave me a biscuit two or three times. Then, when I opened my eyes, the vehicle had already crashed. I was in the back. After that, daddy never communicated with any of us again.”
Shine shared that the accident happened so suddenly that they didn’t even realise they were lying on the road. “Mommy is asking, ‘Why are we lying on this road? Where are we going?’ Until then, an accident was just a sight to me. But when you go through it yourself…I truly broke down and cried, standing on the road, ‘Someone please come and help, someone please get us to the hospital,’” he said.
Shin Tom Chacko revealed that although his brother — Joe John Chacko — was sitting in the front seat, he was left unharmed. He said, “My brother, Joe was sitting in the front. Joe didn’t even have a scratch. I was thinking, ‘How is he walking around like this, unharmed? Will he walk and then collapse or something?’ Because the car was completely wrecked. I called out to daddy, but he wasn’t responding.”
‘There are 10 to 30 stitches’
Shine Tom Chacko also mentioned that he isn’t sure about some of the details, as he had taken medication to help him sleep, as part of his rehab. He said that because he was on these medications, his father would never allow him to drive the vehicle. Shine also revealed that he received 30 stitches after being badly injured in the accident. He said, “I asked the doctor, ‘Will there be about 10 stitches?’ The doctor said, ’10? There are 10 to 30 stitches.’” Shine also shared that he had a small crack in his back due to the accident. On the other hand, his brother Joe had seatbelt injuries. Explaining the same, he said, “Even if you wear a seatbelt, from the impact of the crash, you get chest pains. Those will gradually go away.”
Speaking about his mother suffering from a hip injury, he said, “Mommy’s dislocated hip was relocated and put back in place. Now she’s lying down. There’s a small crack in her hip.”
Shine Tom Chacko shared that his mother hasn’t fully accepted his father’s death and often asks his whereabouts. However, the actor’s brothers and sisters have been there for them.
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About the accident
Shine Tom Chacko was travelling with his family — his father CP Chacko, mother Mariya and brother Joe — along with their driver Aneesh, to Bengaluru when their car was hit by a lorry coming from the opposite direction. CP Chacko died on the spot, while Shine, Mariya, Jo, and the driver were rushed to a nearby hospital. While Mariya sustained a serious hip injury in the accident, Shine suffered fractures below his left shoulder and on his spine.
After receiving medical attention, Shine and Mariya came directly from the hospital to their home in Mundar to perform the final rites of his father on June 9. Photos showed a teary-eyed Shine giving a final kiss to his father. The entire family, including Shine’s brother and sisters — Sumi and Riya — flew in from New Zealand to attend their father’s last rites.
