Photo: South Coast Herald
Rae Braun is the sole survivor of an accident that took the lives of her sister and father, she is currently fighting for her life in the Port Shepstone Regional Hospital.
The accident which occurred on Friday morning claimed the lives of Rae’s father Clint, 39 and her sister, Alexus,12.
According to South Coast Herald Clint had taken his girlfriend, Scarlet van Rensburg to work and was on the way to drop his daughters off at Port Shepstone Senior Primary when the accident occurred on the R620 in Uvongo.
When emergency services arrived they found that Clint had lost control of the vehicle, left the road and smashed into a tree.
Paramedics and rescue services who attended to the crash scene described it as one that has left them ‘traumatised’.
Nkonyeni Fire and Rescue services had to free Clint and Alexus using specialised vehicle rescue equipment. Rae was taken to hospital by ambulance.
According to Clint’s cousin, Kerryn-Rae Steyn, it is believed he hit a massive water patch on the road (caused by a broken water pipe), causing him to veer off the road and crashing into the trees.
She said a number of accidents have occurred on this stretch and believes it could have been prevented. The extended family will be seeking legal advice on this at a later stage.
Kerryn-Rae has started a Facebook page called ‘Pray for Rae’ to keep the community updated on Rae’s condition and to give information on how they can assist financially.
According to the most recent update on Saturday, Rae was responding well to treatment.
“Hospital staff are keeping an eye on the bleeding on her brain and will transfer her to Albert Luthuli Hospital in Durban if need be. It seems the blood clots are breaking down due to the medication and this is wonderful news. She will have to learn to walk again, and she’s going in for an X-ray to see if her ankle is broken as she’s complaining it’s sore.”
Kerryn-Rae thanked everyone for their prayers and support during this difficult time.
Kerryn-Rae, who fondly was called ‘my cuz’ by Clint, said the memories of their lives bring a flood of pain and hurt to her.
She described Alexus as being a very caring and loving girl who looked after and cared for Rae as her older sister.
The girls lost their mother, Joanne Braun suddenly last month (March 30) due to cancer.
“She died within a week of being diagnosed. Her death came as a shock, especially to the girls,” said Kerryn-Rae.
Rae’s birthday was in the beginning of April, shortly after her mother’s death.
Rae now faces another life-changing tragedy – the loss of her father and sister.
She is unaware, at this stage, that they have died, and the family wants to keep it this way until she is strong enough to handle the heart-breaking news.
“As Rae is still fighting for her life, we will tell her about her father and sister once she is ‘out of the woods’. The news might set her back,” explained Kerryn-Rae.
The little girl has no-one left in her family, and Kerryn-Rae explained that Rae would most likely go stay with her grandmother (Clint’s mother), Anthea Britz. Clint was Anthea’s only child.
Edited by Kgomotso Phooko
This article first appeared on Caxton publication South Coast Herald, by Shona Aylward. Read the original article here.
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