Johannesburg - The family of one of the people injured when the scaffolding of a temporary walkway over the M1 collapsed are upset that Murray & Roberts, the company responsible for constructing the bridge, has still not contacted them.
Bryce Carlinsky, 19, was trapped under a huge steel pole after the scaffolding collapsed on the taxi he was travelling in on Wednesday afternoon. Two people, including the driver of the taxi, were killed and 21 others injured.
Since then, Carlinsky has been in Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital in an induced coma, with bleeding on the brain, a fractured pelvis and head injuries.
His older brother, Given Mothoa, says they haven’t had any support from Murray & Roberts, despite the company committing to helping the victims’ families.
“They said someone from Murray & Roberts had left flowers. But they haven’t left a card or any details. We don’t know what’s the story, what’s going on,” he told The Star on Sunday.
A statement released by the company on Thursday stated: “We have also spoken with a number of the injured and will ensure they, and all affected parties, are receiving the necessary care and monitor their recovery. Over the next period we will work closely with a team of independent counselling and trauma practitioners to ensure they are given all appropriate assistance.”
Mothoa said his brother was still in ICU, and while his physical injuries were starting to heal, brain scans taken on Saturday indicated that the bleeding on his brain had not subsided.
“They must give him conservative treatment and make sure he remains sedated. He was breathing on his own last night. They tried to take him off the ventilator completely, but he couldn’t breathe, so they had to put him back on.”
According to Mothoa, the doctors couldn’t indicate whether his brother would recover, but the family remained hopeful.
Mothoa said a passenger who was sitting next to Carlinsky in the taxi was transferred out of ICU to high care and was conscious, but struggling to breathe. The Star could not independently verify this.
On Saturday, over 3 000 people bid another victim of the incident, Adrian Doodnath, 28, farewell at a ceremony in Mount Edgecombe in KwaZulu-Natal.
Meanwhile, Murray & Roberts have confirmed that they put the final section of the support structure in place on Tuesday night, less than 24 hours before it collapsed. Due to the weight, heavy-duty cranes were used to support the structure.
Cars were diverted onto Grayston Drive’s on- and off-ramps while the work was being done. “We lifted the final part of the support structure from the base of the M1 with cranes. We did it at night so there was little disruption to traffic,” spokesman Eduard Jardim told The Star.
He added it was unlikely that this was what caused the collapse, but said it would form part of investigations.
@Gabi_Falanga
The Star
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