DEVASTATED parents of a 22-year-old DHS old boy, Luc Lenferna de la Motte, who was tragically killed on Thursday morning, 19 October while travelling on the Ruth First Highway, have been left with nothing but questions pertaining to their son’s death and say they want answers.
Patricia Lenferna de la Motte said Luc had left friends in Umhlanga and was on his way home to Berea when the accident occurred.
“At 3.30am a very kind policeman from Berea SAPS rang the bell and said the Durban North police had called regarding a motorbike which had been abandoned on the M4. I was in shock and woke my brother to go to the scene with me. When we arrived, a W/O Chetty and a tow truck were there and told us the bike had been obstructing the lane, but they had looked everywhere and couldn’t find Luc,” she said.
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Patricia said the bike was badly damaged and when she heard they could not find Luc she started to shake. It was while she was taking photographs of the bike and the skid marks the bike had made in the road that she noticed five sand bags in the middle of the lane, which she also photographed.
“I called for Luc and then noticed a little crumpled heap behind the armco barrier. When I went closer, I saw it was him. He didn’t look good. I waved to the police officer to say I had found him, and spoke to Luc, saying ‘wake up boy’, but there was no response,” she said.
Police immediately called for an ambulance but when paramedics arrived they gave Patricia the devastating news that Luc ‘was gone’.
“I blessed my son with holy water and prayed for him. I appreciated the fact that the paramedics held back and respected me while I spent time with Luc. They treated me and Luc with great dignity, care and love,” she said.
Patricia said the preliminary autopsy reported brain damage, internal bleeding and a broken leg. The doctor had informed her that Luc would have been killed immediately or knocked unconscious. She said the accident had occurred at around 1.15am, but a motorist had only reported the bike obstructing the highway at around 2.15am.
“We are heartbroken. I feel his death shouldn’t have happened. The sand bags shouldn’t have been in the road, and I want to know how they got there. There were also no warning signs or cones to say there were sandbags along the island or in the road as this is such a hazard. Luc must’ve swerved for them and slid out. I also can’t believe it took so long to find his body, how long did he lie there and suffer?” she said.
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When Patricia visited the scene the following day, she said a company was there moving the bags from the road.
Patricia, her husband, Patrick, and Luc’s sister, Maxine, shared their memories of Luc, emphasising how much he had loved life and was loved by many.
“Luc was a surfer, a skateboarder and an artist. He loved music and was always full of life. He loved life.”
“I know it’s not going to bring Luc back, but I believe he lost his life due to sheer negligence,” said Patricia. For Patric, losing his son is still unreal and he is battling to come to terms with his death. For Maxine, it was not only the loss of her brother that was heartbreaking, but the fact that it was her mother who had found his body.
Sean Hayz Abbood, Luc’s cousin who is part of a Johannesburg band, The Mother Land, wrote a song for Luc which was played at his memorial on Sunday. Local surfers also did a paddle out at North Pier on Saturday in memory of Luc.
eThekwini Municipality had not responded to questions regarding the sandbags found alongside the M4 and obstructing the lane by the time of publication.
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