MBOMBELA – Mr Steven Henry Gobey (21), who was found seriously injured on June 1 after he had been involved in an accident the night before, has died.
Last week Lowvelder reported that Gobey was recuperating in M-Care after he was discharged from Rob Ferreira Hospital.
The accident happened at Uitkyk and he was critically injured. He had spent six days in Rob Ferreira’s ICU and several more weeks in another ward before he was transferred to M-Care.
Gobey went missing on May 31. A photo of him was circulated on Nelspruit Concerned Citizens’ Facebook page. The following morning the employee of a Uitkyk resident discovered the wreckage of an Audi behind a pigsty. Gobey was found about 20 metres from it. He sustained a serious head injury and punctured lung.
Ms Kerry Palermo, a family friend, said it was difficult to say whether Gobey had been aware of his surroundings. She told Lowvelder that he would open his eyes and move. Doctors were reluctant to give a prognosis at that stage and explained that patients with similar injuries recover while others do not.
Gobey incurred bacterial infections during his stay at Rob Ferreira and since doctors advised that his injuries could not be treated any longer and that he would have had to undergo extensive rehabilitation, it was decided to have him transferred to M-Care.
Friends and family were hopeful that he would recover and Palermo organised a fund-raising to help cover his medical expenses.
Gobey’s condition suddenly deteriorated and he passed away on Tuesday afternoon.
“We don’t know whether he died from the infections incurred at Rob Ferreira or because of the injuries he sustained. We are still waiting for the results of the post-mortem,” Palermo said.
The family and Palermo thanked Dr Frans Theron who treated Gobey free of charge, as well as speech therapist Mr Dirk Lourens, who also offered his services free of charge.
“M-Care offered its services at a large discount. Thank you also to Maureen, Bentia and their colleagues at Mediplus SA, who assisted with the planned fund-raising and undertook to pay for the funeral,” Palermo added.
