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Salagatle!


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Friday, January 27, 2012

And then it exploded

So, I was looking at a better year than last year. I had decided I would be leaving my current employer, and was stoked to get involved in what would be my new place of employment. I had plans to get a whole lot of maintenance done at home......

Since the Matriarch moved into the retirement village, it has become my responsibility to pick her up every Saturday evening and take her to church. No problem. Saturday the 7th January was no different, except that she had offered a friend at the home a lift to church with us, as her usual transportation was not available.
i picked them up at about 5.30 pm, in my Toyota Corolla. Due to the fact that the friend has in the past had a massive stroke, it's easier for her to sit in front, with mom at the back. Off we go. Church is from 6 - 7. We left the church at between 6.55 and 7pm. Nice casual drive back to the village. As I am approaching an intersection, ans stop street, I do what I always do. Check speedo (60km/h), move foot to brake pedal, and at the same time check rearview mirror so that if there is someone following me, I can see if they note that I am slowing down. No car behind me. I look front - and the world ended!!!
Coming at me, in my lane, at a very high speed I see a car! WTF! is probably all that went through my mind, and I floored the brake pedal. And the whole world exploded. It's a fantastic thing that it all seems to be in slow motion, but is in fact a split second and the destruction that takes place is almost unbelievable!
The car stops, and there's this deadly silence. Mom is lying between the seats, with her head more or less on the gear lever. I try to lift her, but there is not response. I turn to open my door, it unlocks, but wont budge, so I kick the crap out of it - open. Get out, rune around the car to open the passenger doors. They are locked from inside. Run back around, get in the car - reach over, unlock both doors, try ans help mom again - nothing, get out run around - open both doors - check the lady in front, looks OK???? - look down at mom - not looking OK, reach in through the back door to see if I can help her up from there - and I see a steel pin stuck right through her left leg - ans I know I cant do anything.......

Run back around, feel around under her head where I remember putting my cellphone, find it, and dial the Princess! By now, people are coming to help, and two ladies ask me to stand aside, and I do. Light up a smoke (no, i didn't think of the tank full of petrol - WTF!).

Stepping back, I do a quick assessment of the situation. The driver of the other car has climbed out - no injuries that I can see. I ask the nearest to me to make sure he does not run away. i notice that from the point of impact, my car traveled backwards at least 20 meters! How fast was this fucker driving?
People have already called for assistance. ow truck drivers arrive - and pass out blankets, cushions, and first aid kits!! Awesome. Next to arrive - after a while - paramedics, that's good, cause I really need them to work on the two ladies in the car. The local Community Police Forum people arrive, and immediately one of them is tasked to attach themselves to the driver of the other car. Make sure he has nothing to eat or drink, and does not leave before the cops get there.

Next to arrive, ambulances - soon after the paramedics, then, later, the firebrigade, and much later, the SAPS. (Where the fuck were they?).

Anyway, after more than an hour of working on her, they got mom into an ambulance, her frined in another one, and we all went off to the hospital. GMan, summoned by the Princess had arrived, and between the teo of them they sorted out the stuff in the car, and arranged to have it towed. And then followed us to the hospital.

This was my Toyota Corolla
The other car - A VW Jetta, older model
At the scrap yard
Now I know why me chest hurts - check that steering wheel
Chest 1 - 0 Steering wheel
Mom's arm
So, overall I got off lightly. Cracked a bone in my left wrist, and have a hairline crack through the sternum. Not that it's not sore, going to take a while to heal. And I had bruises all over.
Mom shattered her wrist, hence the brace in the foto above,and broke her left leg, above the knee, steel pins and plates, and smashed the dashboard with her face - you have no idea how black and blue her face was, and loads of bruises etc. We now on day 20, and she is still in hospital.
Moms friend - Broken left wrist - has a brace similar to moms. Plenty broken ribs - rhs - And they had to insert a plate and a whole lot of screws to fix a bunch of broken ribs, and repair a hole in her lung ( caused by the ribs), and loads of bruises. The scariest was that she went into some kind of shock induced coma, and was non-responsive to any interaction at all for just over a week. But now she's doing great, and should be home soon. Mom has to do a week or so of rehab, after she leaves hospital, before she can go home.

I spoke to the cop who came to the scene that night. He says the other driver was not drunk. But, he quickly assesed that he was on drugs, and arrested him, and took him for a blood test. He would have spent the weekend in jail, and probably released on bail only Monday sometime. Now we wait for the results. I have to call the cop soon for an update, and so tat I can get some info to initiate the Road Accident Fund Claim.

We survived - I am very blessed to have come off so lighlty, but would gladly take all the injuries from my mom, and her friend if I could, to spare them the pain they have had to suffer the past 3 weeks.

More to follow as it unfolds.

Salagatle!

7 comments:

Jayne said...

That is truly fucking hectic and how you ever walked out of that wreck to help mom and her friend I'll never know............
Really glad you're OK, plus the grannies should make full recoveries. Hopefully the arsehole that smacked into you will be punished appropriately, so that he doesn't get to do this again.

Can't get over how bloody lucky y'all were!

Wreckless Euroafrican said...

Hi Jayne, yea,very very lucky!

Salagatle!

Divemaster GranDad said...

Fuck me!! I never realised the extent of the injuried that you guys suffered. You were all very lucky, but we're all very thankful that you made it through.

As for the other guy....yet another reason for the death penalty to come back...

NumbAmerican said...

It's been difficult reading about accidents like this since my own. I was in a wreck on 4 July, 2006 (Independence Day in the US) that injured me badly enough that I couldn't attend Uni for a year and caused me to have surgery eventually on my kidney. You're a better man than I because I would have wrung the other driver's neck under the same circumstances. I'm glad you're all recovering, though.

Cheers from the States,
Tyler

Wreckless Euroafrican said...

@Tyler, 10 years ago I would have rung his neck! Maybe even this time if I wasn't so concerned about my mom and her friend. I must add though, if it turns out that the law fails me in this instance, I will go after him. Omerta is a policy I live by! Look it up!
Salagatle!

NumbAmerican said...

Believe it or not, I've read about "omertà" in my different inquiries into mafia organisations. I wholeheartedly agree with that approach, as well. My home state observes a similar phenomenon. For example, Westboro Baptist Church, a cult of religious extremists, visited late last year to protest the funeral of a deceased U.S. Marine, insinuating the tolerance of gays incurred God's wrath in the form of killing our military overseas. Their signs often read "God hates fags" and "Thank God for Dead Soldiers." That's not tolerated down here. Because of the legal implications, they couldn't be officially prevented from protesting, but one of them suffered some injuries in an altercation at a petrol station in town, and none of the witnesses could identify the perpetrators. Other members were arrested elsewhere - but never processed - on charges for crimes they might have committed, and then released after the funeral. Still, others had their vehicles blocked in the parking lots of the hotels they were staying in by large trucks and, conveniently, the towing company was closed for the weekend. The procession of the funeral, needless to say, occurred without a hitch.

Wreckless Euroafrican said...

I had read about the anti gay protests at the funeral, and the actions taken against them, and was very happy to hear they were "pushed back"! I think their actions were disgusting! Here in suynny SA, if a similar thing happens, there is fighting in the streets, and guatanteed bodies left behind!
Salagatle!