`Lest we forget''- death crash memorial
2007-05-10
ON Saturday 28 April, Franschhoek mourned the six people killed in a horrific accident a year ago when the brakes of a tanker failed as it came down the Franschhoek Pass. It smashed into a family car and a bakkie near the Huguenot Memorial.
The car driver Marco Calore was killed instantly. His two-year-old son was thrown 30m out of the car and suffered brain injuries and five building workers waiting nearby were also killed.
Louiza Calore, Marco’s widow, reports that no one has been taken to court or even named by police, despite extensive enquiries. She was told recently that the police file has been lost.
She says now, ‘All I can do as a survivor of this accident is create awareness around the fact that we have unroadworthy killer machines on our roads, and the reality is that my son and I have to continue to use these roads.’
To commemorate her husband and the other men who were killed, she asked Ruth McCourt of the Franschhoek Traffic Action Group to organise a ceremony on the anniversary of the accident, attended by survivors and sympathisers.
A steel cross, adorned with building implements, was raised and the small crowd stood silently, remembering.
On December 11 last year, in an almost identical accident, another out-of-control truck killed a young boy at the same spot and severely traumatised several children he was with.
The good news is that young Luca Calore survived, thanks to excellent medical care at the Paarl Medi-Clinic.
Standing beside his mother as she spoke through her tears, he looked up and pleaded, ‘Don’t cry, Ma.’
“But”, Ruth McCourt said, “He no longer has a father, because of unforgivable negligence on the part of the truck owners.
“We are all at the mercy of these killer machines, and it is time traffic authorities started testing those that sneak along back roads to avoid controls.”
She added, “Franschhoek has been made many promises about weighbridges, traffic rule enforcement and speed cameras, none of which have been fulfilled yet. We are still waiting.” - Jenny Hobbs
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