Two matriculants in deadly accident hours after writing final examinations
Four young Swakopmund residents were involved in a deadly car accident on the C14 gravel road in the vicinity of the Gaub Pass on Tuesday evening. The accident claimed the life of 18-year-old Saskia de Beer. Two of the occupants who survived the accident were Grade 12 learners of the Swakopmund Private School. They only hours earlier wrote their final exams.
According to one of the parents the friends were on their way to go camping in the Namib Nauk-luft Park for three days. As some still attended school that morning they only left later in the day. They were travelling in a Nissan NP300 four wheel drive pick-up and were pulling a camping trailer.
At about 22:00, about 50 kilometers before Solitaire at the first descent of the Gaub Pass, the driver allegedly lost control over the vehicle. Sources speculate the camping trailer was the cause, resulting in the pick-up to ultimately overturn and come to a rest on its roof.
There were four occupants in the vehicle. The 19-year-old female driver is a Swakopmund resident. Her injuries were described as minor.
De Beer, who was working in Swakopmund, passed away at the scene.
The remaining two occupants were learners of the Private School Swakopmund (PSS). One sustained a leg injury while the other was admitted in a hospital in Windhoek and is currently in an Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Yesterday his condition was described as stable. He is expected to make a full recovery.
“This is very tragic. We are speechless”, said Hein Daiber, principal of the Private School Swakopmund (PSS), to namib times yesterday.
The deceased Saskia de Beer matriculated in 2016. Family and friends described her as a lively, friendly person, always willing to assist. She was known to have a beautiful and unique soul and always lived life to the fullest, as she said herself: “Life is short, so love the one you’ve got.”
The accident also sparked outrage, especially amongst the paramedic fraternity. Only state ambulances were dispatched by the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund (MVA) to assist the injured. “There was no advanced life support back-up sent out, even though the MVA was aware that two patients sustained critical injuries”, said an anonymous source to namib times.
Sources revealed that initially the ambulance services E-Med and Lifelink from Swakopmund were dispatched for specialist intervention by the MVA. On their way to the scene the ambulance personnel were informed to turn around. Instead, state ambulances from Walvis Bay and Sesriem were dispatched, with the ambulance from Sesriem arriving last. Sources on scene revealed to namib times that no police officers from Sesriem was on scene at the time.
The police are investigation a case of culpable homicide.
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