In a split second, a family was torn apart. The maternal thread in their lives was snipped, and shock and devastation cuts deep. The Raghoonanan family from Estcourt is grieving the loss of wife, mother and grandmother Ramrajia Raghoonanan.

The 70-year-old was killed on February 6 after the vehicle the family was travelling in veered out of control and overturned on the N3 northbound before Hidcote.

READ IT HERE: N3 crash claims one life

The Raghoonanan family of five had spent the day in Pietermaritzburg, first at a paediatrician for six-year-old grandson Rithvik and then shopping at a popular market before heading back home.

“We passed the Mooi River Toll Plaza at about 5.40pm and just as we reached the slight bend before Hidcote, this happened,” he added.

Mr Raghoonanan explained that the double-cab bakkie he was driving swerved out of control. The bakkie ploughed into the centre median and then rolled.

“I had my son on my lap while this was happening. When the vehicle came to a stop, we noticed that my mother was not inside. We then started looking for her,” said daughter Reshma Bagothiparsad.

Their search ended in tragedy, as Mrs Raghoonanan was lying close to the bakkie in a water drainage gutter in the centre median.
They frantically attempted to resuscitate her, before a passing family from Johannesburg as well as a truck driver stopped to help.

The family described how the truck driver risked his life by stepping onto the highway in the inclement weather to flag down a passing ambulance.

Unfortunately, Mrs Raghoonanan was declared dead at the scene. The heartbroken family was transported back to Estcourt Hospital, where the remaining family members were treated for minor injuries.

Mrs Raghoonanan’s funeral was held on February 8.

The Raghoonanan family extends their sincere gratitude to all friends and family, traffic officers, private and provincial paramedics, Suresh Bissessar (the driver from Johannesburg who was the first to assist on the roadside), as well as the kindhearted truck driver who also assisted on scene.

READ THE FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK’S ESTCOURT NEWS

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