Teens die in joyride
2008-07-27 23:09
Elise Tempelhoff and Sonja van Buul
Sasolburg - Three teenagers died and four were injured in a gruesome accident at a crossing on the R59 highway on Friday night.
Two local high schools are in mourning following the tragedy.
The seven teenagers were apparently on their way from a party in Sasolburg to Vanderbijlpark at about 21:15 when the Hyundai Sonata in which they were travelling was hit on the driver's side by an oncoming truck.
The driver of the Hyundai, Theo Coetzee, 18, who was a Grade-11 pupil at the Driehoek High School in Vanderbijlpark, and Cathrine Els, 16, as well as Patrycja Tusik, 17, both of Salsolburg High School, presumably died on impact.
Ryno Greyling, 18, a former pupil at of Driehoek, Janco Vermeulen, 17, Jenny Watkins, 16, and Annelien Bezuidenhout, 16, all three of Sasolburg High, were injured in the accident.
Did not see truck
Annelien is being treated for a broken collar bone in a hospital in Kroonstad. Janco, Jenny and Ryno were discharged after treatment.
Janco said Theo had stopped at a stop sign before they were about to turn onto the R59 to Vanderbijlpark.
Theo presumably did not see the oncoming truck and turned into the road in front of it.
Janco, who was treated for abrasions and cuts, said on Sunday that he could not remember exactly what had happened.
He could only remember that Cathrine, who was presumably dead at the time, lay with her head on his right arm after the accident.
"I knew my friends had been seriously injured and that I had to get help," he said.
He climbed out of the wreck and ran to Zaaiman Motors some distance away to get help.
Janco also phoned his brother Ian, 16.
Did not have permission
Ian arrived on his motorcycle to fetch Janco and took him home.
Janco said Cathrine and Patrycja had decided at the last moment to drive to Vanderbijlpark with Theo.
Theo's father Johan said on Sunday that he and his wife Elmie and his daughter, also called Elmie, 16, had been in Bela-Bela when they heard about the accident.
Theo did not have permission to drive his parents' Hyundai Sonata.
The couple had lent the car to friends who had been without transport for a while.
They had returned the car on Friday evening.
Theo probably then decided to use the car.
"We are still gutted," Johan said.