In an attack condemned as “heinous” and “barbaric”, an 83-year-old Gauteng man was beaten by a fellow motorist so badly that his son could not recognise him.
Ismail Parak, who was holidaying in Durban, is in a stable condition at a local hospital where family and friends have rallied to pray for his recovery.
The alleged road bully responsible is on the run.
Parak was brutally assaulted in an apparent road rage incident in Inanda Road, Newlands East, on Friday night in full view of his teenage grandson and other motorists.
His son, Faizal, told POST that the retired businessman and the 14-year old boy had been visiting his daughter.
“My dad was driving along Inanda Road when a motorist cut in front of him causing my dad to collide with the other motorist’s Nissan bakkie,” Faisal said.
“My dad jumped out of his vehicle, a borrowed Renault Megane, to assess the damage. It was not bad, more like a fender-bender. The other driver, however, was enraged.”
Faizal claimed the man swore at his father, and when he threatened to call the police, the other motorist beat him up.
“The motorist fisted him in the face and my dad fell to the ground. The man continued to kick and beat him. Someone called the police and when he heard the sirens the man fled.”
Kyle van Reenen from Crisis Medical said when paramedics arrived, the elderly man was in a serious condition. He was placed on life support on a stretcher for suspected neck and spinal cord injuries.
Faizal said when he saw his dad he could not recognise him. “His face was swollen and he could not move his body because of the injuries to his back and rib cage.”
To add to the family’s trauma, Faizal said police had given them the run around.
“Our relative had memorised the number plate of the motorist’s vehicle. But the police refused to take the information because he is a minor.”
He said a police officer from the Sydenham station had later taken a statement “but we received no feedback”.
Police spokesman Major Thulani Zwane confirmed that a case of assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm had been opened.