A YOUNG Morningside waitress’s life took a turn for the worse last week when she was shot at point blank range after trying to help a hijacking victim who had also been shot. For Stephanie Meyer, the bullet fired at her did not only shatter her arm, but has left her unable to earn a living or care for her seven-month old daughter. The hands-on mom, who lost her father just three weeks ago, shared her horror story with Berea Mail.
Meyer, 22, who is still in “excruciating pain” said despite the consequences of her actions in the early hours of Saturday morning, she would do it again if it meant helping someone out. “I would hope that someone would stop to help me or my family in the same situation,” she said this week from her home in Glenwood.
Meyer explained she had finished her shift at a restaurant in Morningside and had had drinks with a fellow waitress and friend, Tahne Bush, around midnight. The pair were about to leave their place of work and were waiting in the parking lot for Bush’s lift to arrive. “Tahne suddenly heard a commotion and ran in the direction it was coming from. Since I was was ready to go home, I jumped into my car and decided to drive to see what was happening.
As I came around the corner, I saw Tahne attending to a man who was bleeding. I noticed a car on the road but didn’t think anything of it and was about to stop and park but the car on the road cut me off, I had no idea at the time that the occupants were hijackers who had hijacked and shot the man who was lying on the side of the road, – she said.
Reliving the moment, Meyer said she remembers a man climbing out the passenger side of the vehicle that had cut her off and walking towards her. “About four meters away from my car, he pulled out a gun. I was shocked and thought I was going to die at that moment. Then he shot me, the bullet went through my arm and broke the bone. I couldn’t drive off because I couldn’t use my arm. I just stared at the blood pouring down my arm. I managed to open my car door and crawled over to where my friend was. I was calm and just told her: Tahne, I’ve just been shot,” she said.
The young Glenwood mother believes she was targeted because the hijackers probably thought she had witnessed the hijacking. She said she initially felt a “shock” when the bullet hit her. “I was filled with adrenaline and don’t know how I managed to crawl to my friend. The man fired two or three more times, but I managed to get away,” she said.
The rest of the night’s events remain a blur for Meyer who lost a lot of blood and was rushed to hospital.
“I was told if the bullet had not gone through my arm, it would have gone into my chest,” she said, grateful to have survived the ordeal. “It’s a clean break, my arm is literally in two pieces, so I have no use of my arm. This is terrible because I am a waitress and cannot get back to work to earn a living for at least two months while it heals.”
Without medical aid, Meyer said her evening got worse when she was rushed to Addington Hospital for treatment. “I was given two painkiller injections as they immobilized my arm. I was given no anaesthetic while they realigned the bone. It really was the worst pain I’ve ever experienced,” By mid-morning and still in excruciating pain, she was discharged with some painkillers and asked to return in a week so they could fit a permanent cast.
Despite the constant physical pain, Meyer says it is nothing to not being able to pick up and cuddle her daughter Amelia. “I can’t do normal things for my baby anymore and it sucks. I deliberately waitress three or four at nights a week so I can be home in the day and be a hands-on mum. I can’t even pick her up now, so I have the added expense of having to get our nanny to come in more often and help. It’s impossible to do with no income,”she said.
On top of everything, Meyer has to come up with R3000 to cover the tow truck bill and another R5000 for car insurance excess costs. Added to this is the extra fees for the nanny who will have to come in daily while she recuperates.
“I don’t have confidence in the public medical system after my treatment at Addington so I’m looking at applying for a loan to pay for a private orthopedic surgeon because my future depends on this arm,” she said.
Despite her woes, Meyer remains optimistic that things will turn out for the best.
An appeal has been made to the community to assist while her arm heals and she is unable to work. Anyone who would like to assist can email: lornac@dbn.caxton.co.za
