INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS
The wreckage of a Citi Golf is wedged between a wall and a tree on Hamberg Road near Florida Lake. Photo: Antoine de Ras
What should have ended as a happy family day turned into tragedy on Monday night.
An 18-year-old woman was killed and four other people, including her 16-year-old brother, were critically injured when the blue Citi Golf they were travelling in left the R24 Hamberg Road near the Tornado Road junction in Georginia, Roodepoort, and struck a tree and perimeter wall of a residence.
The five people in the car were coming back from a family get-together at Little Falls when the accident happened just before 7pm.
A witness said she had been driving in front of the car when she saw it coming at speed.
“I moved to the right lane to give the car way. It swerved to avoid hitting me and the driver lost control after that,” she said.
The vehicle then veered sharply from the road and struck the tree and a wall. All five occupants were flung from the spinning wreckage.
Netcare 911 paramedics arrived at the scene to find that the woman had been killed on impact and her body lay near the wreckage, as did the other wounded. The driver of the car was taken to Leratong Hospital, two passengers were take to Helen Joseph Hospital and the woman’s brother was taken to Chris Hani-Baragwanath Academic Hospital.
The injured were between the ages of 16 and 25. All were treated and stabilised at the scene and transported by ambulance to medical facilities for further urgent care.
The woman was to be buried on Tuesday.
* Joburg metro police will target drunk and reckless drivers, people not wearing seatbelts and cars with smooth and damaged tyres at roadblocks over the festive season, Sapa reports.
Spokesman Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said on Monday that metro police would also keep a hawk’s eye on minibus taxis and buses.
Traffic police would lie in wait along highways to catch speedsters, he added.
Driving at more than 40km/h above the speed limit in 120km/h zones would lead to instant arrest. Offenders caught doing up to 160km/h risked fines of R1 500.
Minnaar said that over the weekend, nine people were arrested for drunk driving in Sandton, and 11 were caught speeding near the Alexandra off-ramp on the N1. – The Star
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Woman killed, four injured in horror crash