‘Last fun run’ says teen hit by taxi
Nabeelah Ebrahim is afraid even to cross the road after being knocked down by a minibus taxi while taking part in a fun run.
|||Pretoria - Nabeelah Ebrahim, 17, decided to dedicate her month of fasting to doing good in her community.
So, at her friends’ request she decided to take part in the annual Pretoria Muslim Trust Sunni School fun run. But a short distance into the event, she was knocked down by a Toyota Quantum taxi, and she is still suffering the after-effects.
She said there was some sort of altercation after a police officer working at the event stopped a taxi driver and explained that he could not go past because of the walk.
“Somehow things got heated and they started arguing with each other,” she said. “We ignored the altercation and continued walking, thinking they would solve things.”
The teenager said she followed her friends across the road when she was hit from behind.
“As I was crossing I heard my friends screaming my name and, before I could turn, I was thrown in the air. I rolled over as I feared he was going to drive over me. I was shocked and kept screaming for my mommy. I couldn’t stand up; thought I had broken all my limbs,” said Nabeelah.
She said she saw the driver get out of the taxi and try to run from the scene, but he was stopped by police officers. The driver then made his way over to her, she said, shouting and swearing and blaming her for the accident.
Disappointed
Her father, Ismail Ebrahim, said his daughter sustained a few cuts and bruises as well as fracturing her ankle, which required surgery. He said he was disappointed at the lack of heightened security measures taken for the fun walk.
“You don’t expect to get a call on Sunday that your child is being taken to hospital as she was hit by a car. These are students doing charity work; the least the organisers could have done was to ensure more precautions were taken. I know it could not have been foreseen, but I feel let down,” he said.
Nabeelah will be on crutches for six weeks.
“They put a steel pin in my ankle, so it will take time for me to adjust,” she said. It was her first and last fun run, she added and she would be afraid to cross the road in future.
Chairman for the Pretoria Muslim Trust Ridwaan Ayob said the school had ensured that safety measures were in place for the race.
“What happened was truly out of our control and not because we were negligent."
Police spokesman Constable Tumisang Moloto said a statement had been obtained from the driver of the taxi. A decision whether to prosecute him was pending.
Pretoria News
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