Durban - Mourners packed the Clare Estate Crematorium on Saturday to pay their respects to Samantha Smith, who died last Monday after spending two weeks in ICU following an accident that left her with 75% burn wounds.
The 32-year-old Clare Estate mother, a psychologist at Cross-Border Road Transport Agency, sustained severe injuries after her car burst into flames on Youth Day at the corner of Randles Road and Stanley Copley Drive in Sydenham.
It is alleged her car veered off the road and into a traffic light and concrete barrier before bursting into flames.
Her father, Deon, said: “The most difficult part of all of this is looking at my 3-year-old granddaughter. She is being cared for by her grandmother and does not really understand what has happened. It is very hard for us right now.”
He described his daughter as kind, gentle and straightforward if the need arose.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Thulani Zwane said investigations were still being conducted into the cause of the accident.