The green Mophane foliage shook in consonance as the wind massaged its leaves. So peaceful was this place that the sight of an "old" vehicle by the roadside immediately became such an eyesore that I wondered why no one was removing the vehicle shell. I passed and noticed three people by the roadside - a woman, a little girl about four years old and someone who was lying belly down on the ground. The tall grass prevented me from seeing what they were doing, but it appeared the person was weaving. I assumed it was an old woman who with her children were waiting for a lift in the direction whence I came. Nonetheless, I found that strange and I continued glancing at my rear-view mirror.
In the mirror I saw a gold dust coloured Corolla suddenly pull over to the side of the road where the three people stood. The driver of the car quickly got out and the passenger immediately assumed the driver's seat. He sped past me towards the police at the Serule barrier gate, missing a growling two-trailer truck by a few inches. I decided right then that what I had just passed was an accident scene. I made a U-turn and was by the three people by within a matter of seconds. That "old" car was a fairly new car that had just overturned. The one lying on the ground - a man in his 30s, immediately worried me. An ugly swelling stood at the back of his head like a grotesque horn. He was in pain and too shocked to say much. By his side a woman, also in her 30s, sat down, her right hand hanging limply and cruelly twisted. She, too, was in shock and kept complaining that she was choking. Any ambulance that we called in would be coming from Selebi-Phikwe or Francistown, both of which are at least 25 minutes away at the best speed manageable. I borrowed a phone from the driver of the Corolla and dialled 998. I informed the lady on the other end that I was taking the patients to Serule clinic and to please call the clinic and alert them. Just then the police arrived. They expressed the wish to transport the patients to the clinic. But they did not have any first aid equipment on their truck - no stretcher and no gloves. And I realised immediately that the police had no training in first aid. There was no doubt however that the police officers genuinely wanted to help as they showed then and thereafter. I advised that we should not place the injured in the metal floored back of the police van, and reclined my passenger seat into a mini-stretcher. Carefully, avoiding sudden jerking movements that could do major harm to the patient we helped the man sprawled on the ground onto the car. We then helped the woman who seemingly would only have the hand to worry about. All this time the woman's little four-year-old daughter stood watching, frightened and confused beyond endurance. She had been flung out the back window of the car, and had miraculously not been injured save for a small abrasion. There was no space in my car for the little girl, with the rest of the remaining space at the back seat having been taken up by the reclined seat. The police took the child and followed us to the clinic, some 16km from the accident scene.
