Woman’s death at carwash: NPA to decide

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Published Aug 24, 2016

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Pretoria - The NPA will decide if a carwash worker who ran over and killed a heavily pregnant Belinda Louw, 35, from the Moot, north of Pretoria, will be charged with culpable homicide.

The woman, who had taken her car to the Sasol garage carwash situated on the corner of Johan Heyns and Ben Swart streets, was left seriously injured when the attendant ran over her on August 13.

The attendant was allegedly unable to operate the automatic Toyota Fortuner that had been washed and ran over the 38-week pregnant Louw as she sat outside on a chair near the carwash.

Louw sustained six broken ribs, a punctured lung and burst her pancreas as a result.

The unborn baby, Ryan as he was to be named, was Louw and her fiancé Corné Hitge’s first child and due to be delivered this week by caesarian section. The mother succumbed to her injuries on Sunday in hospital and will be buried along with her son during the week.

Police spokeswoman Koba Brits said the man was initially charged with reckless and negligent driving but this was later changed to culpable homicide after Louw’s death.

“Statements are being taken from witnesses and a warning statement was taken from the driver. He is not in custody and all the information will be sent to the court to decide the way forward,” she said.

Hitge’s Facebook page had nothing but the words - crushed - and a picture of the couple during happier times pasted on his wall.

Messages of condolences have come in streaming on social networks in support of Hitge.

Letitia Odendaal wrote on Facebook: “I am very worried about the father (Hitge); he lost everything in the blink of an eye’; he needs to get help urgently otherwise he is going to lose it.”

“This is heartbreaking and even though I don’t know the woman I have tears in my eyes. Strength to the father and the family,” wrote Lezanne Pretorius.

The manager, Eduan van As, confirmed that the carwash attendant had been fired. “We will release a statement later in the week,” he said.

Others have come to the defence of the attendant. Luzaan Kriel wrote: “I don’t think this is something we have a say over. An accident is an accident. It’s very heartbreaking and I can’t imagine what the family is going through. But I am 100 percent sure that the person that moved the car did not do so with the intention to purposefully take someone’s life. Let us leave the decision of the Lord alone.”

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