Year of heartache: Ballito widows demand answers of N2 tragedy
It is understood that the case has still not reached court.
Two Ballito families continue to search for answers following the tragic death of Sean Coomer and Jonathan Wills almost exactly a year ago.
The two men, both husbands and fathers, were killed in an accident on the N2 while travelling to a fishing trip on November 4 last year.
A third person from the other car involved in the accident, unknown to the Courier, also died.
It has been an uphill battle for the Coomer and Wills families ever since, dealing not only with the personal loss in their lives, but also a prolonged culpable homicide investigation process from Umhlali Saps.
May Coomer, Sean’s widow, describes an investigation fraught with errors – an allegation supported by correspondence with police seen by the Courier.
“The first red flag came when we had to send back the original case docket twice because it had been filled in incorrectly,” said May.
“Little did we know that would just be the start.”
In the months since, May said there had been myriad delays and mistakes, including a postmortem notice listing Sean as a different race.
“We had waited months for the postmortem document because we needed it for the RAF claim,” she said.
“First the doctor was ill, then in meetings and sometimes we did not hear back at all, only to find glaring errors once it finally arrived.”
The wait for the case to reach court has been similarly delayed.
May was first told by the investigating officer that he would lodge the case on September 13, only to discover he was on leave when she followed up on September 30. After asking again on October 28, May was told that the docket had been misplaced while the officer was on leave and that it needed to be reprepared.
It is understood the case has still not reached court.
“Sean was all about doing things the right way, being honest, noble and following the rules. I want the same for him now,” said May.
“It’s not about revenge or vengeance, it’s about doing the right thing – the right steps need to be taken. There has to be some kind of consequence and the law has to run its course, how else is a family supposed to get any closure?”
Jonathan’s widow Chantelle said she was similarly looking for action to be taken.
“I need my children to grow up in a world knowing that justice is real, that things like their dad’s accident don’t just go by without anyone doing anything about it. They deserve to feel safe,” she said.
Police confirmed receipt of, but did not respond to queries on the case from the Courier.
iLembe Saps spokesperson, Captain Alex Thomson, previously told the Courier he could not comment on an ongoing investigation when contacted in September.
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