A SURVIVOR of a fatal Beitbridge fatal accident has been confined to her bed and is unable to take care of her school-going children because of a spine injury.
Life has never been the same for 43-year-old Margaret Bob from Adben, Harare since the February 13 fatal accident.
Bob is a survivor of an Urban Connect bus and Auto Transport haulage truck head-on collision, which claimed 24 lives on the spot, near the Lutumba Toll Gate along the Beitbridge-Masvingo Road.
In total, 25 people died after one of the accident victims passed away in hospital.
The victims received state-assisted burials after President Emmerson Mnangagwa declared the accident a national disaster.
However, it has emerged that the survivors are facing immense challenges in rebuilding their lives after being discharged from the hospital.
For Bob, her dream of reuniting with her husband in Cape Town has become a distant hope as her daily battle for survival takes precedence over everything else.
Bob now lives under the care of Nancy Frost, her sister as she grapples with her health after the accident.
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Frost has sent an SOS to help her undergo surgery and further medical care.
“I am faced with a situation where my younger sister was involved in an accident in February and it has been difficult for her to get medical attention,” Frost said.
“We are supposed to buy everything that is needed, and we do not have the money.
“She had a spine and leg injury, therefore she cannot walk; she is also supposed to have a metal put in her leg, but there is no money for the procedures.”
Her sister was confined to her bed after she was discharged from hospital without receiving full medical attention.
This is despite the fact that the transport operator had promised to foot all medical bills.
Frost’s sister has now developed bed sores.
“We were told that there was nothing they could do at the hospital so we brought her home,” she said.
“She has developed a deep bedsore which is also adding onto the challenges we are facing as it also needs a vacuum to draw the puss.
“We were asked to bring US$250 in seven days for it to be treated, and we have no clue how we will help my sister.”
Due to the financial constraints, the family has resorted to using traditional herbs to treat the wounds.
“I do not have any patient care equipment to use, the gloves to dress wounds, the catheter that should be regularly changed,” Frost said.
“I have resorted to using traditional herbs to dress the wound.”
To further worsen the desperate situation, their suburb is not spared the harsh water challenges.
“We rarely receive water from our taps so we resorted to buying from our neighbour who has a borehole, which is an added cost when we need the money to foot her medical bills,” added Frost.
Bob’s four children have dropped out of school due to the challenges she is facing.
One was attending university; another was in Form 4, while the younger two were in Grade 6 and Grade 4, respectively.
In a statement after the accident, Urban Connect Bus Company pledged compassionate assistance of US$500 to each grieving family.
