‘I just thought that I am really happy to be alive.’
These were the words of the first-year sports science student at the North-West University, Catelyn Weston (19) who was involved in a car accident on Sunday morning.
At about 02:00, her car overturned multiple times before hitting a lamp post in Govan Mbeki drive close to Aarbei Street.
According to Leon Nell, an IMR paramedic, they found Weston trapped in the back seat of her car and contacted the fire department to free her from the wreckage.
IMR and ER24 treated her on the scene before she was taken to Mediclinic Potchefstroom for further treatment.
According to Weston, she was on her way from work to the house of a friend who lives on the Wilgeboom smallholdings. She does not remember much of the accident.
‘I only came around when they were loading me into the ambulance. The first thing I remember was an intense pain in my neck and back,’ she said.
According to her, a friend who lives nearby heard a loud bang and went out to investigate. When he looked over the wall, he recognised Weston’s car in the road. ‘He said he was too scared to look inside the car because of what he might see,’ said Weston.
Her friend contacted the emergency services who promptly arrived on the scene.
Weston, who matriculated at Ferdinand Postma High School, says she is still struggling to walk after the accident.
‘The doctor said I cracked two vertebrae, my shoulder is hurt and my ankles were swollen. It hurts when I breathe. The pain is very bad when I try and walk,’ she said. Since being admitted to the hospital, the furthest she has been able to walk is about 5 metres from her hospital bed to the door and she still needs a walking stick or crutches to get there.
She will have to wear a brace for the next six weeks and she is not allowed to drive during that time. Although she is still in a lot of pain, she is optimistic, thanks largely to the support of friends and family.
