Boy (4) dragged 50m underneath car, dies

A FOUR-YEAR-OLD boy from Plumtree died after he was knocked down by a car which dragged him for about 50 metres while trapped underneath.

Wandile Sibanda was knocked down by the car as his mother was waiting for him at their gate as he crossed the road on Saturday at around 2PM. He had just been dropped off by his aunt across the road from his home.

Witnesses said they suspect that the driver of the vehicle that hit the boy was drunk. The boy was rushed to Plumtree District Hospital and later transferred to the United Bulawayo Hospitals where he died that night.

Wandile’s aunt, Ms Isabel Ngwenya, said the accident occurred after she had dropped off her nephew near his home. “I had gone with my nephew and I returned to drop him off in the afternoon. I was in the company of my family and we parked the car across the road opposite his home.

“My sister was standing by the gate waiting for him. As he crossed the road I noticed that there was a speeding vehicle that was approaching and I advised him to be cautious. As he reached the end of the road the car hit him and dragged him along the road for about 50 metres while he was trapped underneath,” she said.

Ms Ngwenya said people called out to the driver to stop his vehicle but he did so only after he had knocked down Wandile.

She said the driver who appeared to be drunk told them that his brakes were faulty, hence he failed to stop the car on time.

Ms Ngwenya said her nephew was still alive following the accident and was screaming in agony because of the pain.

“When we got to Wandile he was still stuck underneath the car. We pulled him out but he was badly hurt. He was bleeding from all over the body and there were pieces of his flesh and bones on the tarred road. His state left all of us shaken. “We took him to Plumtree District Hospital but he was immediately rushed to United Bulawayo Hospitals as his condition was critical. When we returned to UBH on the following morning he had died,” she said.

Ms Ngwenya said his nephew’s death had left their family heartbroken. “It was really painful to watch my nephew die that way. We could all see him being dragged by the car but we couldn’t do anything except to scream and shout. My sister is devastated by her child’s death,” she said.

Mr Similo Ndlovu, the councillor for Ward 3 where the incident occurred, said the entire community was devastated by the accident.

Meanwhile, a Bulawayo man died when a vehicle he was driving collided with a Dokotela Bus at the intersection of Robert Mugabe Way and Five Avenue. The accident happened yesterday at around 5AM. It is suspected that either the deceased or the Dokotela Bus driver attempted to go through a red robot resulting in the collision.

An eyewitness, Mr Siphosethu Ntini, said: “I was walking along Robert Mugabe Way and before I crossed the robots, an accident occurred just before my eyes. I just heard a big bang and the next thing a silver car was stuck below a bus.” he said.

Bulawayo acting police provincial spokesperson Assistant Inspector Abednico Ncube confirmed the incident and said police were working to notify the driver’s next of kin.

“The deceased’s body was taken to United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) and we are yet to identify it and notify his next of kin and relatives. His passenger, a woman, sustained injuries and she was taken to Mpilo Central Hospital for medical attention,” he said. — @ DubeMatutu -@thamamoe