A grieving family from Winlen is demanding answers following the death of their uncle, Dayanand Barath, who died as a result of a severe brain injury that he suffered after being hit by an unlicensed vehicle at the Millennium Market in Phoenix last Tuesday, 8 March.
Known to his loved ones as a generous and down to earth man, Barath, 52, who resided in Townside, was on his way to work when he was hit by an unlicensed silver Toyota Yaris. Due to the impact, Barath, flew up and landed onto the windshield of the vehicle, resulting in his severe injuries. Speaking to The Phoenix Tabloid, his niece, Neermala Shuthergoon, said her uncle always saw to it that his family had all their necessities. “He would go out of his way for others, that is just the type of person uncle Dan was. Our family is devastated at what happened and we are seeking justice as there is a lot of information that is being withheld from us.” Shuthergoon also alleged that an ambulance service attended the scene one-hour after the incident, which led to a massive blood loss and could have contributed to her uncle’s untimely death. “There was a witness who tried to provide help to my uncle, she tried to give him water and take him to the hospital. However, the police officer who was there at the time did not allow her to do so. If he was able to get help timeously, he could be alive today. We as the family do not understand how anyone could leave my uncle on the side of the road knowing that he was losing so much blood,” added Shuthergoon.
According to the family, Barath was left brain dead due to the impact and heavy blood loss. His nephew, Ebrahim Reddy, 41, said the family wants answers about the chain of events that led to Barath’s death. He said: “When we got information about the incident, there were several different scenarios that came along with it. We are just looking for closure and justice, because my uncle was on his way to work and the stories about the incident do not add up. We just want the truth and to know what really happened. There were so many eye witnesses at the scene yet nothing was being done.” Reddy said they are hoping that those residents who were present during the incident will come forward and help with the investigations. “We do not want this to happen to another innocent soul and we are hoping by getting this driver off the road we can actually save another person’s life. There is a lot of misleading information, we are not getting anything from the police officer who was present at the time and yet we are the family. There is also video footage of the entire incident that is being withheld from us, which does not make sense, because why would a person randomly video an area before the incident,” said Reddy.
Phoenix SAPS Communications Officer, Captain Louise Naidoo, confirmed the incident. She said a case of culpable homicide has been opened for investigation at the Phoenix SAPS after a pedestrian was knocked by a car and was found lying on his back. “The pedestrian was bleeding from his head and ear and was taken to the Unit 10 clinic, were he was later declared deceased,” said Capt Naidoo. Phoenix Community Policing Forum Chairperson, Umesh Singh, said: “It is saddening to hear a pedestrian has lost his life in this incident and that there had been a delay in the response time of the ambulance. We pass our sincere condolences to the family of the deceased and hope a full investigation will be done regarding this incident,” said Singh. To assist with the investigation, contact Phoenix Police Station on 031-508-2307.
