Joburg mom hobbles back to vote hours after car knocks her over in the queue - News24

A woman who was knocked to the ground in a hit-and-run accident while queueing to vote in Craigavon in Fourways, Johannesburg, hobbled out of hospital hours later and returned to the voting station to cast her ballot.

Chantelle Gribble was at the voting station in Poplar Avenue early on Wednesday morning when a passing car struck her, knocked her to the ground and drove over her leg. According to Gribble, there were cars on the pavement and voters queueing in the road at Crawford Pre-Preparatory, where the voting station was located.

Gribble said she and her husband arrived early so they could spend the rest of the day with their 15-month-old son. The queue was relatively long, and while cars passed by, drivers were moving slowly due to the congestion.

She said the incident happened around 07:00 and said people behind her moved out of the way as a car drove close to the queue.

“Because of the angle that I was standing, I didn’t see the car coming. The lady proceeded to drive into me and then drive over me.”

She said the driver’s front tyre went over her leg and foot, dragging her to the ground. As she lay on the floor, she managed to avoid being run over by the back tyre.

“Even on the footage that I have, when you look at the camera facing towards the other side of the road, you can see her driving along the queue of voters, and people along the queue are screaming and running after her, hitting the car, telling her to stop, and she just proceeded to drive off,” she said.

Gribble added that the driver had apparently been involved in another collision moments earlier.

“On my Facebook post that I posted yesterday on the I Love Fourways group, another voter also indicated that just before [the driver] hit me, she drove into her boyfriend’s car.”

An ambulance was called, and Gribble was taken to hospital. Her leg was fractured and the skin on the back of her leg was damaged.

Gribble said the vehicle was a grey Chery Tiggo and that she had its registration number.

She has to return to the hospital for a scan of her Achilles tendon to ensure it has not been torn, and to be fitted with a special boot to help keep weight off the injured foot.

Despite her injuries, Gribble was discharged from hospital and returned on crutches to vote, a decision Ward 115 councillor Mark Van der Merwe described as extraordinary.

“Like an absolute legend, she came out of hospital and went straight to the voting station and voted,” said Van der Merwe.

“She [was] in a lot of pain, but she felt it was a civic duty to come and vote. She came out of hospital, which to me [was] absolutely spectacular.”

According to Gribble, she was still determined to vote despite her injuries.

She said she told her husband that the incident would not prevent her from voting, adding that they had come that far and that it had to count for something.

“We [are] also at a very frustrating stage [as] there’s a lot of services that are lacking in our area, and I just felt as part of the community, it’s also my responsibility to go cast my vote because we would like to see some important changes being made.”

Gribble shared an update and expressed her heartfelt appreciation in a Facebook post on the “I Love Fourways (BHC)” group.

“From those who ran after the car and called the ambulance, to those who stayed by my side and helped my husband and our little boy during what was a very frightening experience, your kindness and willingness to help meant more than you could ever know.

“In the midst of something so scary, I was surrounded by people who didn’t hesitate for a second to step up and help a complete stranger. This is what community spirit is all about!”

She said her husband and baby were traumatised by the experience, but were doing well.

Gauteng police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Isaac Mudau confirmed that a case of reckless and negligent driving had been opened at the Douglasdale police station.

“[The] docket will be taken to court for decision. No one has been arrested yet. Police investigations are continuing,” he said.

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