UPDATE: Mhere and O’Bryan died of blunt force injuries
KENSINGTON B – Pathologist testifies that the vehicle that hit Top Billing presenter Simba Mhere's car may have been moving at about 98 km per hour.
Dr Candice Hansmeyer, the pathologist who examined the bodies of Simba Mhere and Kady-Shay O’Bryan, said the severity and extent of the injuries pointed to the high velocity impact of the accident.
Top Billing presenter Mhere and O’Bryan, a mother and friend, lost their lives in a tragic motor accident on 31 January 2015 on William Nicol Drive.
Preshalin Naidoo, the driver of the white Polo GTI, is charged with two counts of culpable homicide.
Read yesterday’s article for details of another witness’s testimony.
Hansmeyer explained in Randburg Magistrate’s Court on 7 July that O’Bryan sustained blunt force injuries to her brain, head, chest and abdominal area, rib fractures, trachia tearing, a torn spleen as well as other internal injuries.
Mhere suffered blunt force injuries to the head, chest, abdomen, right upper arm as well as injuries to his skull and brain. His lung was completely split from his bronchial tubes. The right lobe of his liver was ruptured, his spleen had a laceration and the upper arm bone was fractured.
“Taking them to hospital on time would not have helped,” Hansmeyer said.
She also explained that Mhere had inhaled some blood into his lungs. This may indicate that he was alive for a few seconds after the crash or it was an automatic bodily movement associated with death.
The court displayed pictures of the bodies of both Mhere and O’Bryan in the vehicle. Dr Hansmeyer correlated her autopsy findings to the pictures of the bodies taken at the accident scene. “We know from the injuries that the impact was from the right, therefore they both sustained side impacts, which is consistent with their chest injuries,” said Hansmeyer.
The severity and extent of the injuries is an example of energy transfer. For both the driver and the passenger, the injuries both direct and indirect, are in keeping with a high velocity impact and high energy transfer.
Defence Advocate Francois Roets started his cross examination. Roets asked Hansmeyer to clarify details in the picture. He argued that the bodies may have been moved. Hansmeyer could not confirm that the bodies had been moved because she was not on scene.
Follow @randburg_sun and @AshtynMackenzie for live updates during the trial.
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