Lovers' ride ends with a crash
2008-11-25 09:22
Pietermaritzburg - A joyride by two young Pietermaritzburg lovers ended badly when they crashed into a Northdale home on Monday.
The lovers, who are both 17 and in matric at Heather Secondary, were later taken to Midlands Hospital with minor injuries.
The teenagers, who don't have driver's licences, allegedly took the car without permission.
The vehicle belonged to a car dealership owned by the girl's family.
It is believed that along the way the girl lost control of the vehicle and it overturned and rolled into a yard at the corner of Bombay and Crocus roads.
Their parents are now liable to pay damages caused during the accident. An Msunduzi Municipality traffic officer at the scene said he was impounding the vehicle as it flattened a low-level concrete road sign as well as four servitude markers, which marked the location of underground water pipes.
'Money not the issue'
"It is a procedure that we have to impound the vehicle if it damaged municipality property, so the owner can pay for the damages," said the traffic officer.
But the driver's uncle, who is the owner of the car dealership, arrived at the scene about an hour later. He was heard shouting that "the money is not an issue" while producing a white bag full of R100, R50 and R20 bank notes.
The traffic officer said the girl was charged with reckless driving and driving without a licence.
"She told me that she had learner's licence, but she did not have it with her. Her passenger also did not have a licence," said the officer.
After crashing into the wall, the vehicle landed on top of a Yamaha FZR 250 motorbike estimated to be worth more than R10 000.
"I want them to pay for my written-off bike as well as the damaged concrete wall," said Viresh Durgapersad, who is a member of Cruisers Motorcycling Club.
Neighbour Kyle Joseph said the couple are his schoolmates. He said they finished writing their Biology Paper Two at 11:00. On Tuesday they will be sitting for their last two exams - Business Studies and English Paper Three at 09:00 and 14:00 respectively.
Kyle said he was in his bedroom studying when he had a loud bang outside the house. He rushed to investigate only to find the vehicle with his schoolmates inside.
Lucky couple
The vehicle's roof bent in as a result of impact against the concrete fence of Kyle's house.
"They could talk when I found them. They were lucky that they didn't die," said Kyle.
Kyle's cousin Joash Govender said when the accident happened he had just chased two young cousins, who are between one and three-years-old, into the house because it was too hot.
"When I ordered them into the house they cried because they wanted to play on the swing. Even my grandmother [Dhano Govender] was lucky because she was about to go out to work in the garden [where the vehicle landed]," said Joash.
A family friend of the girl said he was concerned the two will be too shocked to write Tuesday's papers.