Last Monday, January 1, proved to be a tragic start to the new year, when a horrific accident claimed the life of a local young woman who was on her way to visit a friend.
Twenty-six-year-old Alincia Govender of Bengal Street, Laudium, succumbed to severe injuries at Unitas Hospital after another car crashed into her Volvo on the N14 highway (close to the Pretoria West off-ramp) at around 9pm that fatal night. The shocking accident left Alincia fighting for her life for about two hours before she eventually succumbed at around 11:30 that same night. Netcare emergency services were dispatched to the scene of the accident which involved three vehicles. When they arrived, they found that an Isuzu bakkie, driven by 52 year old Petrus Karools, had collided with a VW Polo, owned by Bianca Johnson (36) which in turn crashed into Alincia's Volvo. Witnesses said that the Volvo spiralled out of control and somersaulted, landing on its roof.
Netcare spokesman, Stephen Graaf said, “The 26-year-old woman was found
critically injured and entrapped in her vehicle. The Jaws of Life was used to remove the roof of the vehicle to allow paramedics to free her from the wreckage. The victim had sustained multiple head injuries, broken ribs and had internal bleeding. All of these are considered life threatening injuries and she was quickly rushed to Unitas Hospital in that critical condition where she later passed on.” Petrus Karools claimed that he had lost control of the vehicle he was driving, thus leading to the chain reaction causing the tragic accident. The drivers of both the other vehicles sustained minor injuries. The distraught Govender family were too traumatised to comment at the time of going to press.
The wreckage of Alincia's Volvo, wherein she sustained fatal injuries.
In happier times, Alincia Govender (26).