Son, Daughter, Mother, Perish Hours Apart In Two Accidents
Sharon Mathala | Monday September 12, 2016 18:00
The family horror began with a freak accident, claiming the life of a 35-year-old motorist near the Fairground Filling Station in Gaborone on Friday, when the trailer of a truck loaded with sand overturned, fell on and buried the Golf GTI under.
Hours later the deceased man’s mother and sister, driving a Toyota van carrying three others, on a trip from Chadibe in the North East, also died on the spot when their car over-turned. They had apparently just received the news of the passing away of their kin in Gaborone.
Witnesses say the horrific scene in Gaborone happened when the truck driver swung his juggernaut to avoid another motorist running through a red light, killing the driver of a stationary car at the traffic lights.
Traffic was at a stand still around the Bontleng area following the incident, as the truck pulling two trailers loaded with sand overturned, trapped the motorist inside the GTI, killing him in the process.
The accident happened minutes after 2pm. When The Monitor arrived at the scene, the police, the fire department and Med Rescue International (MRI) officers were struggling to lift the trailers belonging to the truck off the black Golf GTI trapped under.
It took about two hours for the police to finally get the deceased man out of the crashed car.
The car was mostly damaged on the drivers’ side. One of the eyewitnesses, who said they were idling around the area when the accident happened, narrated the ordeal. “The truck was coming from the opposite direction of the Golf. The Mazda came out of nowhere and ran through the red traffic light which had now given way for the truck.”
The Monitor crew was informed that the truck driver then tried to avoid the accident and swerved to the direction of the Golf. The trailers then overturned and fell onto the stationary car.
“I could hear the man scream until he took his last breath,” said one of the eyewitnesses who said they could not help the man trapped under the truck trailers because the sand had also buried his car under the truck trailer.
At the scene the police suspected that a Mazda Demio vehicle, which ran through the red traffic light, caused the accident. Division Traffic Officer Reginald Matlhaba said the truck, which was delivering sand tried to avoid the accident but the driver lost control of the truck. “We are still investigating the accident so I cannot say much at the moment. But our pre liminary investigations are that after losing control of the car, the back trailers full of sand fell on top of the car. Matlhaba said at the scene on Friday.
“Unfortunately, the man was trapped under, and he lost his life. The other who caused the accident has been taken to hospital for medical attention,” he said.
Quizzed on what possible charge the man driving the Mazda is likely to face Matlhaba said, “at the moment I cannot say because he has been taken to hospital. We were really concentrating on saving the life of the one trapped under, now that its done, we will now investigate further as to what really happened.”
A few hours after the tragic accident in Gaborone the man’s mother and sister also suffered the same fate on the same day. It is reported that a few hours after the man’s tragic accident, his 64-year-old mother and his 40-year-old sister were also involved in a fatal car accident at around 4am on Saturday.
The distraught older brother to the deceased man, Mbatshi Abel confirmed this. “They were five in that car, a Toyota van. They were on their back to Kgari from Chadibe village.”
“The car overturned and my sister and mother died on the spot. Three were then taken to Nyangabgwe referral hospital. Two were discharged and my four-year-old nephew is still hospitalised,” Abel said.
Member of Parliament for Gaborone Central, Phenyo Butale, announced the family tragedy through his Facebook page on Saturday.
He posted: “Friends we need to pray. I’m in my home village. When I left Gaborone there was talk about a horrific accident involving a truck. When I got home this morning I hear that the person who passed on is my uncle’s in-law and now the guy’s mother and sister have also perished in another road mishap on their way home after hearing of the GC accident. Now an old man who has long lost his sight has to deal with the passing of his wife and two children”.