The parents of a teenage boy who was left in a critical condition after a private security company vehicle ploughed into him, killing his friend and injuring his older brother, while walking on a pavement on Palmview Drive have questioned if their son will ever get the justice that “he and the others deserve”.
This, as the case has yet to reach court one-year after the incident which left 17-year-old Trishen Rampersad with multiple head injuries, a brain injury, a punctured lung and broken ribs. The incident on 26 June 2022 also claimed the life of 18-year-old Ethan Govender and left Kerin Rampersad, 20, with a fractured left knee and bruises to his body.
Phoenix SAPS Communications Officer, Captain Louise Naidoo, said that a case of culpable homicide was opened at the station. She said: “Members of Phoenix SAPS responded to a collision at the intersection of Palmview Drive and Queenspark Drive. On arrival a declaration of death of Ethan Govender, 18, was handed to the police by the paramedics who attended the scene. Phoenix SAPS members further interviewed the driver of an the security company vehicle, who was allegedly responding to a callout at Pearlbrook.”
Cpt Naidoo said: “The driver alleged that while travelling he noticed four pedestrians on the left side of the road and that his vehicle suddenly locked and ended up going off the road, knocking three pedestrians. The vehicle ended up in a ditch 10 meters off the road.”
Speaking to the Phoenix Tabloid Joanne Rampersad, Trishen’s mother, said they want justice for their son who hasn’t been to school since the accident a year ago. “My son has missed out on an entire year of learning due to the serious injuries from the accident. He was in Grade 10 and had just closed school for the June holidays. The last 12 months have been some of the most difficult not only for him but for us as his family, as we had to adjust our daily routine to accommodate Trishen and ensure that he gets our undivided attention 24/7.”
Rampersad said the incident left teenage son wheelchair bound for “a very long time until he recently started walking on his own again”. She said: “Ever since the accident, my son has been to three different hospitals for prolonged periods of time and what saddens us the most is that while my child was lucky enough to survive this traumatic experience, one that still traumatises him even today, another child was left for dead yet nothing has been done regarding the fatal incident.”
She added: “Every time we went to the Phoenix police station to seek answers about the case, the investigating officer was always waiting for something. In the beginning we were told that they were waiting for Ethan’s death certificate which did eventually receive and they then informed us that they couldn’t proceed as they were still awaiting the post mortem results. From there on the case just kept being stalled and every time we called in, we kept getting excuses upon excuses, so we stopped following up on it because we were more concerned about my son’s health and wellbeing. He was still undergoing hospital treatment and our focus was on getting him to fully recover from his injuries.”
Rampersad said now that Trishen is at home and is recovering well, they want to focus on the case and getting him, his sibling and their friend the justice that they deserve. “It’s shocking that one year later, we have not heard from the investigating officer and the findings of his investigation. Lately, we have been desperately trying to get in contact with the investigating officer but all our calls go unanswered or his phone goes straight to voicemail. We were recently informed by another policeman at Phoenix SAPS that the initial I/O was no longer handling our case yet no one cared to inform us about this vital piece of information. We don’t even know who is handling the case or who to turn to for assistance, we are just left in the dark which is incompetent on the side of the police,” said the irate parent.
“Our son’s life was turned upside down due to someone else’s negligence yet they are roaming scot free, as if they didn’t cause any havoc in our lives. The police have everything at their disposal including camera footage that shows how the driver had been speeding prior to the horrific accident. The post mortem results were received long ago – they are basically sitting with everything they needed for the case to reach court. The way the driver drove into the boys was extremely traumatising. I don’t understand what is preventing the police from doing their jobs, all we want is for just to prevail. You cannot destroy or take away someone’s life and get away with it,” said Rampersad.
“No parent wants to see their child suffer and my child has been suffering all this time, no one knows what we’ve been through to get him to where he is today. It’s been really difficult and he’s still on the road to recovery. This is attempted murder and it is absolutely frustrating that the case has not reached court one year later. All we want is for the person responsible for all this pain and suffering to see his day in court and to be punished for his actions accordingly,” added Rampersad.
Trishen is currently undergoing speech therapy and his parents are hopeful that he will return back to school soon. Pastor Shaun Balbaran and Pastor Michelle Francis, who released the video footage of the incident, said they are hoping that the families get much needed justice and closure. “You cannot protect the community and at the same time kill them. We want justice to be served and for the man guilty to be brought to book. We are asking for the commissioner of KZN to get involved and get this matter sorted out. We have the video which proves that the teenagers who were involved were not at fault. We want justice to be served,” said the Phoenix pastors.
