TRAGEDY: Biker loses her life on Winterton Road
Devastated at losing the love of his life, Bertus described Yolandi as a woman of great strength.
What was meant to be a morning of enjoyment for a small group of bikers from Vryheid, turned into heartbreak, agony and loss.
On Sunday (October 1), the bikers went on a breakfast-run to Waffle Hut in Winterton. En route, one of the riders lost control of his bike.
“We were going slowly into a right hand turn, when our bike impacted with the barrier,” said Bertus Meyer.
Bertus was flung 20 metres from the point of impact.
His right shoulder and the femur in his right leg were cracked, while his left hand and wrist were virtually crushed.
“I lay there for what felt like five minutes until the ambulance arrived. But it was actually 45 minutes, and I must have lost consciousness from the pain.”
While Bertus survived the crash, his girlfriend of four years, Yolandi Steenkamp, died at the scene of the accident. Bertus was taken to MediClinic Newcastle by ambulance for medical care.
“While we not formally engaged, Yolandi and I saw each other as husband and wife. We didn’t need a permit to say we were married.”
Devastated at losing the love of his life, Bertus described Yolandi as a woman of great strength.
“She ran a graphic design business, a newsletter and had an equestrian school which were all doing well.”
At the equestrian school, he said Yolandi did more than just teach youngsters to ride horses.
“She helped people overcome their depression through the horses,” he said.
He also described her as a woman with exceptional faith in God.
“When people didn’t pay for their equestrian classes or for their ads in the newsletter, I would tell her ‘lets see what we can do.’ I would even offer to lend her money. But she always declined, and said God would provide.”
As he now faced a life without Yolandi, Bertus said he knew she was with God.
“The most beautiful, stylish and elegant in woman in Vryheid is now gone.”
Bertus was discharged from MediClinic Newcastle on Wednesday (October 4), and said he had received overwhelming support from bikers in Newcastle, as well as from family and friends.
The Newcastle Sun extends its condolences to the family and friends of Yolandi Steenkamp.
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