A high-speed car chase along the Harrismith Road (R103) just past the Windsor turn-off, resulted in the injury of an Alfred Duma Municipal Public Safety officer, before midday today (11 May).
The officer had been chasing a vehicle, with occupants, after it had refused to stop when directed to. “My main aim was to stop the driver, as he was not only putting his life and passengers in danger, but as well as the working maintenance teams along the road surface,” said the officer, who had given his report, to senior officials on the scene. It is reported that the public safety officer tried to slow down the fleeing vehicle by overtaking it, but his vehicle got clipped and both vehicles veered off the road, crashing down a steep embankment.
The officer sustained injuries however he managed to get out of the vehicle and thats when he saw the driver and passenger fleeing the scene on foot, leaving behind a 13-year-old passenger in the back of the vehicle. The officer made his way to the overturned vehicle and pulled the youngster out. Both were treated for injuries by responding paramedics from SharajEMS. The vehicle will be impounded by Public Safety. A case of reckless and negligent driving will be investigated by police. “We will conduct further investigations into the incident and try and locate the driver and passenger,” said a senior official on the scene. Public Safety officers on the scene told the Ladysmith Herald that they are grateful that their colleague is still alive.
