Malayalam cinema star Shine Tom Chacko recently shared a deeply personal and heartbreaking account of the devastating car accident in June that claimed his father’s life. The incident, which occurred in Dharmapuri, near Salem in Tamil Nadu, left the actor and his family grappling with immense grief and physical injuries. Photos capturing a visibly distraught Shine bidding his final farewell to his beloved father, C.P. Chacko (73), had previously circulated online, drawing widespread sympathy. Now, for the first time, the acclaimed actor has candidly opened up about the fatal crash and the arduous journey of coping with this profound loss.
The Fateful Drive: A Sudden, Shattering Impact
Recounting the terrifying moments leading up to the collision, Shine Tom Chacko revealed details to ‘The Cue’ in a poignant interview. “I was resting in the back seat,” he explained, recalling fragments of the journey. “I would occasionally stir from my sleep and ask Daddy for a biscuit. He offered me one a couple of times.” The actor then described the abrupt, brutal shift from normalcy to chaos: “Then, the next time I opened my eyes, the vehicle had already crashed. I was still in the back. After that moment, Daddy never spoke to any of us again.”
The suddenness of the accident was so overwhelming that the family initially struggled to comprehend their situation. “Mommy was asking, ‘Why are we lying on this road? Where are we going?'” Shine recounted, highlighting the disorientation. He reflected on how, until that moment, an accident was merely a spectacle seen from afar. “But when you personally live through it… I truly broke down, standing right there on the road, pleading, ‘Someone please come and help, someone please get us to the hospital,’” he shared, his words painting a vivid picture of the sheer helplessness he felt.
Unseen Miracles and Grievous Wounds
Despite the catastrophic impact that utterly wrecked their car, some outcomes were bewildering. Shine’s brother, Joe John Chacko, who had been seated in the front, miraculously emerged almost unscathed. “My brother Joe was in the front,” Shine noted with a sense of disbelief. “He didn’t even have a scratch. I kept wondering, ‘How is he walking around like this, unharmed? Will he walk and then suddenly collapse?'” The stark contrast was heartbreakingly clear as Shine desperately called out to his father, only to be met with devastating silence. “I called out to Daddy, but he wasn’t responding.”
The actor also shed light on his own severe injuries, compounded by medication he was taking for rehab at the time, which his father had always insisted prevented him from driving. “I asked the doctor, ‘Will there be about 10 stitches?’ The doctor replied, ‘Ten? There are between 10 and 30 stitches!'” Shine recounted, detailing the extent of his lacerations. Beyond the visible injuries, he suffered a small fracture in his back and additional fractures below his left shoulder and on his spine, as later confirmed by medical assessments. Joe, despite his apparent luck, experienced significant chest pains from seatbelt impact, common in high-force collisions. “Even with a seatbelt,” Shine explained, “the sheer force of the crash can cause chest pains, which eventually subside.”
A Family’s Agony and the Path to Healing
The tragedy extended to Shine’s mother, Mariya, who sustained a serious hip injury. “Mommy’s dislocated hip was relocated and set back in place,” he confirmed, adding, “Now she’s resting. There’s also a small crack in her hip.” The emotional toll on Mariya has been particularly heavy. Shine shared that his mother still struggles to fully accept her husband’s death, often inquiring about his whereabouts. This profound grief underscores the deep bond they shared and the sudden void left behind.
The family had been traveling from Kerala towards Bengaluru when their car was struck head-on by a lorry. The driver, Aneesh, also sustained injuries. Following immediate medical attention, Shine and Mariya were released from the hospital directly to their home in Mundar, to attend the solemn final rites for C.P. Chacko on June 9. The images of a tearful Shine tenderly kissing his father goodbye resonated deeply with many. In a testament to their strong family ties, Shine’s sisters, Sumi and Riya, flew in from New Zealand to join their brothers and mother in mourning, offering crucial support during this incredibly trying period.
