De Jager’s life changed irrevocably on June 25 when his leg had to be amputated after a one-ton bakkie crashed into his scooter.
The driver of the vehicle drove away, leaving a critically injured Wihan de Jager helpless on the R40 towards White River.
Around 18:00, Wihan drove from Rocky Drift to Mbombela when a Hyundai H100 one-tonner light commercial vehicle crashed into his 125cc scooter between eBundu Lodge and Kiaat Hospital. The impact sent his scooter into a side barrier.
He slid 10 metres before crashing into a sharp and dangerous edge of the barrier which had been damaged in a previous accident. The impact with the barrier tore his leg apart.
At 18:20 his parents, who were in Sabie at the time, received a phone call from a stranger who found Wihan in a conscious state on the side of the road.
He had also suffered a broken hip and arm and was rushed to Rob Ferreira Hospital. On arrival, De Jager was urgently attended to by several staff members.
He had lost a vast amount of blood and was taken into an operating theatre to have all his wounds cleaned.
De Jager had dangerously low blood pressure due to severe blood loss. A decision was made to amputate his leg in a second operation the following morning.
He has since been stable enough to be moved out of ICU and is scheduled for another operation to mend his broken arm and hip.
His father, Johan de Jager, said Wihan is very emotional and the family still needs to come to terms with this horrific hit-and-run.
“We are very thankful for the support and amazing service that we received at Rob Ferreira Hospital,” Johan said.
The family calls on the community to come forward with any information they might have regarding the light commercial vehicle involved in the accident.
With Wihan having no medical aid, the family requested that donations be made to contribute to medical costs.
Enquiries: Willa de Jager (mother) on 083 267 2908.
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They are also currently seeking legal advice regarding the damaged barrier that was not fixed after the previous accident.
