A fight at a Knysna club resulted in the death of a young woman while three others were seriously injured when a man allegedly tried to hit a group of people with his vehicle, lost control and hit innocent bystanders instead.

The incident follows a fight inside the club on Main Road (N2) at St James Memorial Square at around 02:00 on Sunday. It is believed that the group of people the man was aiming for was involved the fight inside the club earlier.

“The fight continued and expanded to the outside, whereafter the suspect allegedly jumped into his vehicle and sped towards the people he fought with. He missed them and hit the bystanders,” Southern Cape police spokesperson Captain Malcolm Pojie explains.

He says Ricardo Damons (35) was arrested on the scene.

Pojie indicated that the three injured individuals – two men and a woman who is believed to be the mother of the deceased – were admitted to Knysna Provincial Hospital.

“Later the woman was transferred to George Hospital for further medical attention. She has since undergone an operation and is still recovering in hospital.”

Damons appeared in the Knysna Magistrate’s Court on a charge of murder on Monday. The case was postponed to Wednesday for a bail hearing and again to yesterday for a continuation thereof. The outcome was not known at the time of publishing.

“The possibility that more charges could be added is not excluded. The investigation continues,” Pojie says.

The incident has brought the controversy about the fact that the N2 runs through central Knysna to the fore again. Paul Zeman, an owner of a club on the Main Road (N2) near where the accident occurred, was one of the people to speak up on the matter.

“Violent happenings on Knysna’s Main Road have never been resolved,” he says.

“I’ll never forget the shocking sight of the tragic and unnecessary death of the elderly lady whose last living memory was holding her husband’s hand as she was pulled under the wheels of a 18-wheeler truck while crossing the street to buy a battery for her vintage watch.

“The utter shock, despair and heartbreak on his face is a sight I will never forget. I’m still reeling with sadness and then last night while cashing up, we heard the acceleration of a car just before it ploughed into a crowd on Main Road at Memorial Square followed by a white VW Golf a half-an-hour later which mounted the pavement next to Absa bank in the direction of the waterfront.”

In the days after the accident a video showing horrific detail of the scene was circulated on social media.

Out of respect for the deceased and her family, Knysna-Plett Herald urges members of the public to refrain from circulating this video.

The family of the deceased has requested that the newspaper does not publish the identity of the deceased.