Deadly accidents blight festive weekend

Initial traffic reports indicated that at least two fatal car accidents claimed the lives of three people, including a five-year-old child, over the Christmas weekend.

On Friday, Nampa reported that two passengers, Beeline Thandiwe (5) and Silas Gustav (27), died when the driver of a silver Toyota Corolla overtook another car and collided into an oncoming Nissan pick-up.

The accident took place near Oniimbwele village on the Ondangwa and Omuthiya main road in the Oshikoto Region.

Police Deputy Commissioner Petrus Shigwedha confirmed that the accident took place at around 06:00 on Friday morning, with both drivers sustaining only slight injuries. Gustav was a passenger in the silver Toyota Corolla and the child a passenger in the Nissan pick-up. The Toyota Corolla's driver was travelling from Windhoek to Ondangwa while the Nissan was travelling in the opposite direction.

Three others were admitted to the Onandjokwe hospital in a critical condition.

The West Coast Safety Initiative (WCSI) confirmed another fatal accident took place early in the morning on Saturday, 23 December, on the MR44 route.

One fatality was reported and the driver sustained less serious injuries.

The crash happened after the driver reportedly lost control on a slight bend on the road, causing the vehicle to overturn. Both occupants were catapulted from the vehicle.

Another serious accident took place about 133km from Walvis Bay towards Windhoek on the D1985 route when a pick-up with two occupants overturned. Both occupants of the car sustained injuries.



The quick action of two lifeguards from the Sea Rescue Institute of Namibia (SRIN) in Swakopmund led to the rescue of two women who nearly drowned on 24 December, WCSI reported.



One of the women had already disappeared beneath the water when the lifeguards arrived and saved her life.



A truck illegally and unsafely transporting two pick-ups from the north was pulled from the road at the Swakopmund police roadblock on Monday.



Several people reported seeing the truck with its unusual cargo en route to Walvis Bay, noting that the driver had chosen to drive at night in an attempt to avoid detection.



Nampa further reported a five-car pile-up that took place on Friday in Windhoek, injuring three persons who were taken to hospital.



City Police spokesperson Edmund Khoaseb said a Land Cruiser bakkie, driving along Sam Nujoma Road in the direction of Daan Viljoen, hit a vehicle that drove through a red traffic light.



“According to eyewitnesses, a vehicle from Rocky Crest jumped the red robot, forcing the Land Cruiser to hit it on the side, leading to several vehicles hitting each other at that intersection,” he said.



Another accident occurred on the Western Bypass at around 09:20 on Friday.



According to Khoaseb, a station wagon tried to make a U-turn on the Western Bypass. It then hit a Mazda sedan that was driving from the south.



“Two women in the Mazda sedan sustained minor injuries, while no injuries were reported on the driver of the station wagon,” he said.



On 24 December, it was reported by the WCSI that an accident was reported between Henties Bay and Swakopmund, where the driver reportedly absconded from the scene. No further information on whether the driver was caught was available by time of going to print.



A vehicle count on 23 December on the B2 route between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay indicated the high volume of people at the coast.



By 17:00 on the afternoon, 476 vehicles had travelled to Swakopmund from Walvis Bay, and 352 vehicles towards Walvis Bay.



- Additional reporting by Nampa



JANA-MARI SMITH