Constantia Kloof resident Keith Nash is disappointed with the lack of interest shown by Honeydew police officers.
On 31 October Nash was travelling on Hendrik Potgieter Road when he came across an accident that had just occurred, as reported in the Northsider week ending 8 November, “Raid comes to a grinding halt”.
“I was driving in the right hand lane and stopped three to four cars from the accident scene when a tow truck suddenly came speeding and scratched my car,” Nash said. The tow truck was driving in the wrong lane [facing oncoming traffic] and drove over a solid line. “That’s reckless and negligent driving.”
After scratching Nash’s car, the tow truck driver stopped at the accident scene, got out of his car and went to talk to officials attending the collision. “He didn’t bother to come and check the damage he might have caused to my car,” recalled a furious Nash.
Realising the truck driver had no intentions of approaching Nash, Nash stepped out of his car and approached the driver. Nash asked the driver if he was aware of what he had done, and received no answer. Nash then approached police officers at the scene, but they too ignored him. According to Nash, one police officer told him there was a “state” vehicle involved in the accident and that was the most important thing.
Nash received no help from JMPD officials present at the scene either, and they in fact told him that, “these people [tow truck drivers] help at accident scenes.” While Nash does not deny tow trucks being of value at accident scenes, he questions why they appear to be above the law, clearly disobeying traffic laws and disregarding other road users. The truck in question had no number plates and when Nash questioned the driver concerning this, his answer was that the truck had just come back from the panel beaters.
With no assistance received at the accident scene, Nash made his way to Honeydew police station to open a case.
“It was just chaos when we arrived, there was no proper queue and we waited for hours to be assisted,” Nash said, explaining the mishmash he walked into at the police station.
Though the situation was not quite pleasant, Nash applauds a volunteer at the station, who is known only as Debbie, for a wonderful service. “She came in and in less than two minutes sorted everyone out, putting them in correct queues to be assisted.”
Nash has laid a formal complaint against the police officers who failed to assist him at the accident scene. He was assured he would receive feedback in two weeks, and two weeks later he is still waiting.
Honeydew police had not responded to questions sent to them at the time of going to press.
