A FORM three student died on the spot on Friday while her colleague sustained fractured legs after they were hit by a Toyota Hiace vehicle that veered off the road along Luveve Road.
This was confirmed by Bulawayo police spokesperson, Nomalanga Msebele, who said the kombi driver lost control of the vehicle and hit the two students who were standing at a distance from the road on Friday morning.
She said the driver was in police custody and a charge of culpable homicide had been preferred against him. “Police attended to a fatal road traffic accident which occurred along Luveve Road in Machipisini, where a female juvenile aged 16 years of Mpopoma died on the spot while her friend, a female juvenile aged 17 years, sustained fractured legs.
“A male adult aged 36 years of Cowdray Park, Bulawayo, was driving a white Toyota Hiace along Luveve Road due east with 18 passengers on board. He lost control of the vehicle and it veered off to the left side of the road and hit two female juvenile pedestrians who were standing on the roadside at a distance of approximately 20 meters from the road.
Both are students at a local school doing Form Three. “The driver did not sustain any injury, however, the now deceased sustained head injuries and died on the spot whilst the other juvenile sustained fractured legs. An ambulance ferried the injured juvenile to Mpilo Hospital for treatment and her condition is stable.
“Police are appealing to motorists to exercise due care, avoid speeding, be patient on our roads, and always follow road traffic regulations to avoid the loss of lives,” said Msebele.