The Arrive Alive website receives requests for assistance, suggestions on how to improve road safety etc.. etc…Every now and then we receive a letter from the heart of someone who believes that he or she needs to share a personal experience. I would like to share such a letter received from someone [Jaco] who decided to share his thoughts:
“Hi, I am sure you hear thousands of stories regarding car accidents, and know that mine is most certainly not different for other people. But for me it is.
I lost both my parents in a car accident on 24 January 2009. They were driving from my sister’s house, about 6km from our home, back home, when a young lady (supposedly driving at a high speed) drove into my parents as they were crossing the intersection. It was about 22:00. According to what police told us after the accident, there was a couple who had driven behind my parents and made a statement, in which they described that the robot was green for my parents. Thus, they were driving over the intersection, as it was their right to go, and this car ‘skipped’ a red robot and drove into them. My dad, a retired police officer, died immediately, according to reports. The other driver hit him on his (the driver’s side). My mom lived for a while thereafter.
My wife and I were called to the scene, a few minutes from our house, and my mom was still alive. She died about ten minutes after us arriving on the scene. The other driver: Well, she was fine, a broken wrist as far all a s we know. But no major impact on her side. She was able to get out of her car and walk and talk just after the accident. Unfair, right?! Our lives have changed forever. Two elderly people who meant the world to their family, their lives were cut short that night by a driver who did not stop at a red robot. A driver who did not want to, or claimed to have remembered ‘nothing’ a week after the acccident when police questioned her. We have heard from other sources that this other driver has a drug problem, been in rehabs etc, but apparently was not drunk, and it seems from what we know no drug test was done.
She has appeared in court recently, and yes, we as a family were there for them: our beloved parents. The case has been postponed. Many people, people who have experiences of these sort of cases, has told us that these cases mostly gets ‘thrown out’ after a long and tedious period. Nothing much happens in these cases.
And that brings me to my question or comment (or whatever my reason for sending this): Should justice not prevail, should these accidents, these manslaughter cases not be dealt with more effectively, more seriously? Our parents have been killed, and there is nothing we can do about it. But what about others? This lady (the other driver is fine), but she, and others who make the same stupid mistakes, are left to go on, and drive again. That is scary. Are drivers in accidents not supposed to be tested for drug use as well? Take their licences away. They get a good lawyer, the case drags on, and in only a few cases something really happens to them. The rest, well, nothing. A witness saw my parents crossing over a green (which means they are allowed to keep driving) robot, and this driver comes bashing into them. She has never contacted us, never said sorry even. Why would she? Her life is going on. Ours has changed.
Apologies for venting some anger here. I know that you guys at Arrive Alive are doing a fantastic job at making our roads a safer place, and for that I say thank you.
I just feel all role players should work closer together, to deal with these sort of things better. I will be at every court hearing, praying that justice will prevail, whatever that may mean. But more so hoping that this person does not cause harm to others with her driving, as was done to us.
One feels helpless.
I know that I want to use this experience to help, or try and help, others in the future. Victims of road accidents, and the people left behind in those cases where loved ones are killed in accidents. If you know of any sort of group or something similar I would be able to get involved with, please forward the details to me. The different stages we, as the ‘left behinders’, go through are difficult. Hence, I feel I need to help others in the future.
To Dad and Mom – we love you forever. And may your death on that fateful night not just be forgotten or become another statistic. With all our love!”
Kind regards
Jaco
We have expressed our condolences to Jaco and his family. We would like to encourage all those who have lost beloved family members to view the Wall of Remembrance. Even though most of us can do little to enforce safe behaviour on the roads we can all honour the memories of our family members who have become victims of road accidents!