Truck drives over teenager
André Deneyschen, advanced lifesupport paramedic, immediately organised an in-flight transfer for Swiegers to Milpark Hospital, Johannesburg, while Deon Broekman and his team from Rapid Response ensured the in-flight safety landing procedures.
LYDENBURG – A 16-year-old boy miraculously escaped death when a chrome carrier truck drove over him in Voortrekker Street. The incident happened at 19:00 on Tuesday next to the Rehobot Church.
According to several eyewitnesses Steelburger/Lydenburg News spoke to, the truck failed to stop at one of the several stop signs on this busy main road. Witnesses recall that Tiaan Swiegers, a Hoërskool Lydenburg pupil, was trying to cross the road when the truck drove down from the Long Tom Pass.
He was about to cross the road when he realised that it was not going to stop. Tiaan was standing next to the pavement when the indicator light on the truck caught onto a part of his trousers, flinging him underneath the chrome carrier. Witnesses immediately rushed to his aid, while others tried to flag down the truck to force it to a standstill.
The truck, however, refused to stop, despite the attempts of motorists and witnesses. Tiaan was immediately taken to Lydenburg Hospital by concerned bystanders. In the meantime, Rapid Response and Netcare 911 rushed to the hospital to assist the injured teen.
André Deneyschen, advanced lifesupport paramedic, immediately organised an in-flight transfer for Swiegers to Milpark Hospital, Johannesburg, while Deon Broekman and his team from Rapid Response ensured the in-flight safety landing procedures. Deneyschen told the newspaper on the scene that Tiaan sustained a serious pelvis fracture, left vascular artery compromise and a severed left artery, which made it crucial for him to be airlifted to a specialised private hospital for further medical assistance.
The Netcare 911 helicopter landed at the hospital just after 22:00 to transport him to Milpark. The pilot for this flight was none other than former Protea cricket player, Boeta Dippenaar. In the meantime, his parents, Elroy and Huibrecht Swiegers, were already on their way to Johannesburg.
The newspaper spoke to Malinda Venter, a family friend, on Wednesday morning. Venter said Tiaan had been booked into theatre at 02:00 on Wednesday. He underwent surgery to repair a severed artery and to alleviate a blood clot that prevented blood flow to his foot. He will also have to undergo another surgery to repair the fractures to his pelvis. This will be done once an orthopaedic surgeon has done a full examination.
Tiaan is, however, fully respondent and stable at the moment. He is in the intensive care unit. The newspaper tried to contact both his parents for comment regarding the incident. His father sent the newspaper a voice note in which Tiaan’s mother explains that his pelvis is completely fractured on the left side. On the right side, he simply has a crack.
The voice note explains that he will, after a week spent in hospital, receive crutches in order to assist him with learning how to walk again. From there he will undergo rehabilitation for three weeks. After a month, it will be determined if he will need another operation. The voice note also said that Tiaan could fully heal after three to six months, as his pelvis did not shift during the accident.
There is no damage to his internal organs or lower back. In the meantime, enraged residents have ordered a protest against the ongoing dilemma facing Lydenburg concerning the trucks.
An online petition was launched on Wednesday in another attempt to get the trucks off the town roads. The protest is planned for today (Friday) to block all trucks from entering or leaving the town’s roads. Proceedings will start at 07:00 for 07:30 at the Heads’ circle.
Capt Alfred Moela, communications officer for Lydenburg SAPS, urged anyone with any information to contact them. “At the moment, no one came forward to report the incident. Any eyewitness accounts should be addressed to the SAPS in order for us to investigate the matter.”
