Driver loses control on Golf Club Terrace

A young student (19) lost control of her vehicle when the front left tyre burst on the evening of Monday 19 August. The accident occurred around 6.45pm, according to ER24 spokesperson Vanessa Jackson.

The student who studies at the University of the Witwatersrand was travelling home along Golf Club Terrace towards the Unisa campus when her vehicle’s front left tyre burst and she lost control of it.

When the Record arrived, Celeste and Terence Sauls who were in the vehicle behind her already had called emergency services and contacted her parents.

“We were driving up the hill and I heard a loud sound from the vehicle in front of us. The vehicle then swerved and collided with the tree.

“The girl behind the wheel was unconscious for about three minutes before I saw her eyes rolling. Meanwhile I tried to open the door.”

Pastor Andrew Phristie was one of the first residents on scene, having seen the couple run up the road. He had a conversation with the student to keep her conscious.

“She seemed very confused, and I explained to her that she had been in an accident. Luckily she was able to give us her family’s contact information.”

JMPD vehicles were also on scene at around 7.10pm, taking statements from eyewitnesses and residents. ER24 was the first on scene and paramedics were crowded around the crushed Corsa Lite, breaking out the glass from the windows to ensure her safest removal from the vehicle. The student was conscious, speaking and crying, saying that she’s in a lot of pain in her lower midsection.

By 7.30pm paramedics were able to extricate her from the vehicle safely and strapped her to a stretcher. Although Flora Clinic was around the corner, paramedics on scene explained that Milpark Hospital was the better choice for its excellent trauma unit.

Once at Milpark Hospital, the student was treated for internal bleeding and it was confirmed that she had a fractured pelvis. One of her lungs was bruised and she was given oxygen throughout the night.

On the morning of Tuesday 20 August, eyewitness Terence told the Record, “I am so relieved that she is stable today, she could have been in a much worse condition.”