Mother outraged after e-hailing cab crash neglect

One Saturday morning in April turned traumatic for the Stasio family when a collision involving an e-hailing vehicle left them injured and with more questions than answers.

Dominique, her partner Tristan and their seven-year-old son Blake were passengers in a Bolt ride as they were taking their son to his first-ever birthday party when the car was struck by another at the corner of JG Strydom Road and Sonneblom Avenue.

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According to Dominique, the Bolt driver was attempting to turn right at a traffic light when another vehicle collided with the left back side of their vehicle, which is the same side where Blake was seated. The impact was severe enough to cause the vehicle to spin, rendering the passengers unconscious.

“We were very fortunate, as there was an ambulance coming down the same road as the vehicle that drove into us, and the two paramedics witnessed the incident.

“Tristan sustained injuries to his left knee; he was badly bruised and had a few cuts on his face. The Bolt driver suffered no injuries, and the injuries of the other vehicle’s occupants are unknown,” Dominique explains.

Dominique and Blake were rushed in the ambulance to the nearest hospital, where she received stitches on her head and Blake received stitches on the left side of his face.

Since the accident, Dominique reveals that Blake has developed eye, ear, and chest infections.

“He hasn’t been able to go back to school yet either, and Grade One is very important. He has missed so much.”

The aftermath has been as distressing as the accident itself. Dominique recalls her experience at the Honeydew Police Station, where she went to get a case number.

“I went to Honeydew Police Station, but the officer couldn’t find any reports from either of the drivers,” she says. “I assumed the Bolt driver or the other driver would have reported the accident, but no such report exists.”

Dominique reported the incident via the Bolt app and followed up via email, but received a response indicating that Bolt was unaware of the accident because the driver had never reported it.

“They told me they can only investigate the accident once I send them the case number,” she explains. “How must I send Bolt a case number when we were passengers in one of their vehicles? It should be the driver or Bolt themselves who open the case.

“I am disgusted by Bolt and their services and how they have handled this matter. I used to use Bolt every day and more than once a day. As a company that provides transport for the public, knowing incidents like this are bound to happen, I would have expected Bolt to be more professional and hands-on,” she says.

The Roodepoort Northsider has sent questions regarding the incident to Bolt. As soon as their comment is received, an update will follow.