Lise BeyersAN early morning outing to a farmer’s market outside Paarl ended in tragedy on Saturday morning when a local family were involved in a horror crash which cost the lives of three people.
The accident took place on the R44, about 700m from the turn-off to Nelson’s Creek, where the market was being held.
Deborah Post and her children, Hannah (11 months), Martha (2), Gideon (5), Joshua (8), Danielle (12) and Alexandra (14), attended the market every Saturday morning, where Deborah sold her organic honey.
According to reports, a white Corsa filled with five students who were also travelling in the direction of Wellington, hit the rear of Deborah’s blue bakkie.
The bakkie was flung into the bushes breaking up into three parts, while the Corsa landed up on its roof in the middle of the road.
A scene of chaos and confusion followed with Deborah searching for her children who had been flung across the site.
Two students from the University of the Western Cape, Lynn Abrahams and Serwin Links, died instantly. Abrahams was from Kuilsrivier and Links from Nababeep.
Two of the Post children, Danielle and Gideon, were airlifted to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital with serious injuries. Danielle died there shortly after her arrival. Gideon sustained serious neck injuries and had to undergo an emergency operation.
The driver of the Corsa, also a student from UWC, Kieran McPherson, sustained slight injuries. He was arrested on the scene and charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.
An onlooker at the scene of the accident said that it was evident that the abuse of alcohol was directly responsible for the crash.
“Apparently McPherson offered to drive two people from Stellenbosch to Wellington.
“One of the survivors who was in the Corsa, admitted that the students had been partying in Stellenbosch all night. They said that they feared for their lives while travelling in the vehicle.”
The Post family is from Houmoed farm in the Paardeberg.
Alan Nelson of Nelson’s Creek, said that this has been a tragic event for everybody who is involved with the farmer’s market.
“Danielle was a real live wire and as soon as she would get to our farm, she would immediately go and play with the horses.
“Our thoughts are with the entire Post family.”
