Cancer survivor saves Bedfordview hit-and-run victim’s life

The woman who helped save the life of a hit-and-run victim in Bedfordview said she does not want to be seen as a hero.

Ms Rosalind Heard, a breast cancer survivor, spotted a man lying next to the road at the intersection of Kloof and Talisman roads.

She said she noticed many people walking and driving past him.

Presuming he was dead, she made a U-turn to see if she could report the matter to the SAPS.

“He was still alive and when he finally became conscious, I learnt that he was a victim of a hit-and-run incident. He was from Orange Farm and was on his way to work,” said Ms Heard.

The incident took place last Wednesday, around 9am and according to Ms Heard, it took 10 minutes to get emergency services on-scene.

She said she was no hero.

“I stopped because that is how we need to be as people. If I was in that position, I would appreciate it if someone held my hand and told me I will be okay. We have lost the value of Ubuntu as a people and you see it all over the world. My heart broke while at the scene; a car stopped next to him [the victim] with loud music playing, they checked him out and then just drove off,” said Ms Heard.

Residents later took to Facebook to commend Ms Heard for her compassion and for getting help.

Mr Patrick Doddemeade posted, “Well done to you Rosalind. A touch of humanity will surely come your way and I’m sure the man you helped will see you as his saving grace. To those who saw and did nothing… Shame on you.”

The ward 20 councillor, Clr Jill Humphreys, said it was upsetting how fast people drive along Kloof Road.

“I have since applied for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM) to build a traffic circle at the intersection of Kloof and Talisman roads as motorists have a total disregard for the stop sign,” said Clr Humphreys.