A tragic incident unfolded in Cape Town, leaving an 11-year-old girl named Devoney Gilbert battling for her life in the hospital. The horrifying ordeal occurred in the heart of Leonsdale, Elsies River, when a panicked motorist attempted to escape from gangsters engaged in a botched hijacking.
Devoney Gilbert fights for her life in hospital after botched hijacking
As reported by the Daily Voice, the disturbing scene played out on 9th Avenue as the driver of a red VW Golf 6 found himself in the crosshairs of opportunistic thugs.
According to local residents, the foreign driver had been collecting a recently purchased puppy near the Gaba Village informal settlement. The Terribles, as the gang is reportedly known, seized the opportunity, initiating a terrifying chain of events.
The assailants forcibly removed the driver from his car, temporarily seizing control of the vehicle. However, community members intervened, wresting the car back from the gangsters.
In a desperate bid to escape the threat to his life, the driver rapidly entered his vehicle and sped away. In the chaos that followed, the vehicle collided with a wendy house and struck young Devoney Gilbert, who was innocently walking home from school.
Devoney’s mother, Ivona, described the harrowing aftermath of the collision. She revealed that her daughter, a Grade 5 student at Leonsdale Primary School, had been an unfortunate witness to the events leading up to the tragedy.
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Devoney’s curiosity led her to pause and observe, only to find herself struck by the speeding car and trapped underneath.
Ivona shared the devastating news that her daughter had sustained severe injuries, including spinal and brain damage. Medical professionals at Red Cross War Memorial Children’s Hospital worked tirelessly to drain blood from her lungs.
As Devoney’s life hangs in the balance, Ivona expressed the deep trauma her family is experiencing, compounded by the recent loss of her husband in a fire just a week prior.
“They have not told me when she will go for surgery but she is in a critical condition. Just last week we buried her father who died in a fire. My family is so traumatised,” the mother added.
Will the motorist be charged with negligent driving?
Police spokesperson Wesley Twigg confirmed the incident and informed that the Elsies River police are actively investigating the case of reckless and negligent driving.
The driver of the red Golf has not been apprehended, and it remains uncertain whether he has initiated a criminal case for the botched hijacking.
“The circumstances surrounding the incident are under investigation. No arrests have been made as yet,” Twigg confirmed.