Pretoria woman mourns husband killed in KZN bike accident
“I sat with him for over 30 minutes as he clung to life amid intense pain” - trail leader.
The wife of a Pretoria biker who died in an accident in Richards Bay in KwaZulu-Natal on Saturday, said she was devastated by her husband’s death.
“It was very sad… we didn’t expect it to happen,” said Charmaine Lotz of her husband Lourens Erasmus Lotz’s death.
Lotz (52) died in a crash during the Richards Bay Dune Roosters bike clubs’ excursion through rough terrain from Richards Bay to Mapelane and Hlobane.
Morne Barnard, leader of the group of 12 that set off at 08:00, played a role in attempts to save Lotz’s life.
He said he sat speaking with Lotz for more than 30 minutes until he died.
“I kept telling him help would soon be there. I gave him water but gradually his pulse became weaker,” said Barnard.
“I met Lourens that morning, and was immediately impressed with him as a person – a real gentleman, just an awesome guy.”
He said the riding plan consisted of placing new riders in the middle of the single file group and putting experienced members upfront to check the trail and sweepers at the back to look out for stragglers.
Lotz, who was riding a 650cc Honda, disappeared from the group.
“When the front runners noticed he was not keeping up, we went back and found he had smashed into a fallen tree on an S-bend. It was obvious he had suffered severe internal injuries and we contacted emergency services,” said Barnard.
Barnard is a qualified first-aider, who gave immediate assistance while waiting for an ambulance.
He said a narrow path and dense trees made it difficult for emergency vehicles to access the scene.
He said paramedics tried to save Lotz’s life, but he was declared dead on the scene.
Barnard had the unenviable task of informing Charmaine of the tragedy and is arranging contributions toward funeral expenses from among the biker group.
Charmaine arrived in Richards Bay on Monday, to make final arrangements and was grateful for the support from Barnard and others.
Do you have more information about the story? Please send us an email to editorial@rekord.co.za or phone us on 083 625 4114.
For free breaking and community news, visit Rekord’s websites:
For more news and interesting articles, like Rekord on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or Instagram
