7-year-old boy falls out of moving bakkie

The 7-year-old boy is said to have been unable to hold on when the allegedly speeding vehicle drove over a speed hump, resulting in him falling out of the moving vehicle hitting his head on the road, reports Public Eye.

Bystanders rushed to the boy who was lying lifelessly on the road, while another group followed the vehicle in an attempt to flag down the driver, who was allegedly unaware the child had fallen out of the vehicle.

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“She (the driver) was unaware that a child had fallen off. We tried to shout for her but she did not stop,” said an eyewitness at the scene. Another bystander said the boy lay lifeless on the road and thought he was dead.

“He was not moving. So we decided to call the paramedics,” he said.

Paramedics arriving to assist the child.

The driver was eventually was forced to return to the scene. It is alleged the woman apologised and again drove off without being apprehended.

A paramedic on the scene confirmed the boy sustained head injuries and was not fully responsive before rushing him off to the nearest hospital.

Northern Suburbs Taxi Association (NSTA) PRO Vensh Kistensamy, who was on the scene, said stricter laws should be enforced to combat the ferrying of children in bakkies.

“All taxis go through tests and comply to safety measures to make sure the passengers, especially school children are safe,” said Kistensamy.

“Bakkies transporting children should be the target of law enforcers also. These incidents bring a bad name to the transport industry and something must be done for our children’s safety.”

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