A Cape Town woman is lucky to be alive after she survived a Golden Arrow bus crash earlier this week that claimed the lives of three people.
The accident which injured 35 people took place along Jakes Gerwel Drive in Athlone.
The deceased were identified as Amy Carelse, Malize van Rooi and Yarick Damons from Mitchells Plain.
Shaheema River, 25, from Eastridge in Mitchells Plain started her day as usual on Monday, September 25, not knowing her day would be flipped upside down.
Waiting on her usual 7.15am bus headed to work in Century City, she got on the bus as usual on the rainy day.
“The bus was driving as usual and many passengers, myself included, were telling the driver he was speeding.
“All of us were commenting on how fast he was going but the driver didn’t respond. I told him to slow down, many were mainly worried when we got to the Samora Machel side as the road is bumpy and has lots of potholes. If he had taken that into account …,” she said.
River said as the bus was travelling along the wet road, she did not realise what happened until she saw people flung from the bus.
“Fight or flight mode kicked in when I saw someone go through the window. It was one of the old buses, so I could hold onto the rail of the seat. Then I felt I was airborne. I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see more,” River told IOL.
When she woke up, she couldn’t at first fathom what she witnessed and gone through.
“Next moment, I woke up. I was between the bus, the bottom half of me was inside the bus and the other half outside. When I realised what happened … I saw blood, and people shouting. I was numb. I was stuck. What I saw made me realise this was actually real,” River said.
During the accident, her spectacles were flung from her face.
“I saw my specs. I saw the rest of the people. I knew I had to get out of the bus. My mind kept thinking about worst-case scenarios. I got out. I crawled. I got my belongings and I managed to walk to my colleague who was also on the bus. I kneeled down to console her,” River explained.
At this time paramedics had arrived at the scene.
“Paramedics came and gave us blankets. He asked me to stand up and I couldn’t get up. That is when I saw my injuries. My right thigh was swollen. My legs and back were sore.
“I was given two injections and taken to Lentegeur District Hospital where the doctor conducted X-rays and told me I had internal bruising on my bone at my hip and back. I also have a bump on my head and my shoulder hurts,” River said.
Doctors discharged River from the hospital on Tuesday, September 26.
Videos and photos of the horrific scenes were shared widely on all social media platforms.
In one video, River can be seen in the footage.
She currently has difficulty speaking and walking and struggles to sleep due to the pain.
River urged members of the public to stop speculating and saying it was the wind that threw the bus over.
She has vowed to never take a bus again.
“I have seen too much,” Rivers said.
When asked if anyone from Golden Arrow Bus Service (GABS) had reached out to her she said: “I haven’t heard from anyone. I will open an individual case and I hope as a group we can lodge a case so something can be done.
“This cannot be allowed to be swept under the rug. This is not fair to the deceased or the passengers involved,” she said.
Enquiries were sent to GABS but they did not respond by the time of publication.
robin.francke@inl.co.za
IOL