A Pretoria East motorist is calling on the Tshwane metro to prioritise public lighting after he survived what appeared to be an attempted attack in the dark streets along Lynnwood Road near the corner of Equestria Road.

According to Pretoria Rekord, the motorist did not want to be named.

He said his car window was smashed with a brick on October 26 while he was driving home after visiting a friend at Wilgers Hospital, and the brick hit him in the face, leaving him with what he said was a concussion. He managed to drive to safety while bleeding.

The motorist said the dark streets on that stretch of road are a cover for criminals targeting motorists.

“As I was approaching the traffic lights, a brick was hurled directly through my right front driver’s side window and also hit my face. I drive that road a lot, and the streetlights do not work.”

He said the brick shattered the window and struck the right side of his face, causing bleeding, cuts, severe swelling and a concussion.

The motorist said he drove around in a daze for about 33 minutes looking for his house. “I didn’t know where I stayed until after about 33 minutes, which was confirmed with my car’s GPS tracking.”

He said once he got home, his wife rushed him to the hospital for emergency treatment.

“I am still dealing with lingering concussion symptoms, including headaches, fatigue and a visible mark and bruising on my cheek,” he said.

“Doctors treated the facial wounds and assessed me for a concussion. Physically, the cuts are healing, though there is still bruising and soreness, and the concussion fatigue is taking time to clear.”

Recovery and ongoing trauma

He said since this happened, his right eye jumps and twitches every now and then.

“I have constant headaches and I wake up in cold sweats thinking about what happened. I feel on edge and in constant fear for me and my family when driving.”

He said that stretch near the intersection is very dark at night and has dense vegetation, which makes it easy for attackers to hide and target slow-moving cars.

He hopes sharing his experience will push authorities to fix the streetlights and secure that dangerous stretch of road for all motorists.

“It was dark and it happened in a split second. I did not see anyone or any specific vehicle before or after the impact, and nothing was stolen from my car.”

Investigation and safety calls

He said he reported the attack at Garsfontein SAPS the next morning, but the case was subsequently transferred to Silverton Police Station for further investigation.

“They contacted me to get the facts and information and I have not heard anything from them since.”

He said he no longer feels safe driving at night and actively avoids stopping at poorly lit intersections after dark.

“The authorities need to repair the streetlights along Lynnwood and Equestria immediately, clear overgrown trees and bushes on the islands, and increase visible police and metro patrols at night.”

He said this incident has left him so on edge that even just having a street vendor selling goods at a traffic light has made him stressed, especially when approaching red traffic lights or driving after sunset.

He advised other motorists to be extremely cautious when stopping or approaching red lights, leave enough space in front of them so they are not boxed in, and be extra careful around dark islands and bushes, adding that they should try not to drive after dark.

Police spokesperson Captain Johan van Dyk said a charge of common assault is being investigated.

“The suspect is still unknown and the scenario is that somebody threw a brick that shattered a motorist’s window and injured him.”

The Tshwane metro was contacted regarding its plans to repair streetlights, but by publication time no response was received.

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