Residents of a Table View complex want to know who is going to pay for the damage to their property after a car smashed through their wall.
They also want to know why the occupants of the car, including an off-duty policeman, weren’t Breathalysed when it was obvious they were “blind drunk”.
In the wee small hours of Monday morning, September 11, Lance Abrahams and his fiancée, Kirsty Browne, were jolted awake by a thunderous crash: a blue VW polo had crashed through the wall, launching a chunk of vibracrete through the lounge window of their Adri complex home in Blaauwberg Road.
“The crash was so loud the whole house shook. My fiancée and I were first outside and saw one guy had already gotten out of the car,” said Mr Abrahams.
He said the two men were bleeding and it was clear to him they were both drunk.
“They came straight towards us asking for help. One had a big gash on his head. My fiancée got the first-aid kit and assisted them.”
While waiting for the ambulance and police to arrive the men had been “throwing booze cans out of the car”.
Mr Abrahams’s neighbour, Daphne Dubruyn, said she had come out after Mr Abrahams and had seen two “blind drunk” men.
“I saw one as he was getting out of the car, and it was obvious that they were drunk. There were beer cans all over in their car,” said Ms Dubruyn.
A piece of her wall was also damaged by the crash, and the car’s windscreen had landed in front of her door.
Mr Abrahams and Ms Dubruyn said that when the police had arrived, they had overheard an officer saying one of the men in the car was a policeman.
“When we asked the policeman to repeat what he had said, he just kept quiet,” said Mr Abrahams.
Ms Dubruyn refuses to pay for the damages and vows to take things further to get justice.
“I am a pensioner. I don’t have money to pay for the damages. I understand that accidents happen. All I want is for them to pay for the fence. I don’t care if one is a cop. Someone has to pay for this or I’m going to the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID),” she said.
The crash also damaged Mr Abrahams’s work bakkie and he opened a case at the Table View police station.
About a week after the accident, his fiancée had gone to the police station to ask about the investigation and had been shocked to learn it had been closed.
“She was told that there were no limbs lost and that no blood was drawn to check if they were drunk, so the investigation was closed. My wife said what about the witnesses that saw they were drunk, but they said it was hearsay,” said Mr Abrahams.
Mr Abrahams said he was pouring all his money into his wedding in December and could not afford to fix the damage to his property.
“I have taped up the window and put zinc plates where the wall has been broken away. They should be held accountable for what they did and pay for the damages,” he said.
Table View police spokeswoman Captain Adriana Chandler said a case of reckless and negligent driving had been opened.
“It was investigated, and due to no injuries caused to a person during the incident, the case was filed, according to police national instruction,” said Captain Chandler.
Asked why the occupants had not been tested for alcohol, Captain Chandler said: “The members would have looked at various signs to ascertain if someone is drunk such as bloodshot eyes, slurred speech, smell of alcohol on the breath. If the members were of the opinion, based on the above, that the person was not under the influence, then a driving under the influence would not be opened. If the other party wanted to open a case of drunk driving, they must submit such a statement under oath.”
She said the argument about who should pay for the damages was a civil matter.
