A female motorist was taken into custody following a breathalyser test confirming her intoxicated state during a collision that injured a pedestrian and five passengers in Thembisa.
Lieutenant Colonel Kelebogile Thepa, spokesperson for the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD), reported that officers from the metro police’s first responders unit promptly responded to the crash on Thursday morning.
The incident occurred on Andrew Mapheto Drive, near St. Gamma’s primary school.
According to Thepa, the driver, a 33-year-old woman, allegedly failed to observe a non-functional traffic light, resulting in the collision. The pedestrian was struck and landed beside the primary school’s palisade fence.
Upon arrival, officers found injured individuals both outside the vehicle and within it.
Medical assistance was sought, and the injured were transported to various medical facilities for treatment, with some passengers taken to Thembisa clinic and others to Thembisa Hospital for serious injuries.
Upon detecting a strong scent of alcohol emanating from the driver, officers administered a breathalyser test, which indicated a high level of alcohol consumption. Subsequently, the driver was apprehended and a blood sample was taken by a doctor at the scene before she was escorted to Thembisa South police station.
The woman faces charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and is slated to appear in Thembisa Magistrate’s Court.
Thepa noted that the damaged vehicle was impounded and secured at Thembisa South police station.