Motorist knocks down, kills 5-year-old

By Bahle Gama

A 32-year-old man has been arrested for knocking down a five-year-old girl who suffered severe head injuries which she succumbed to.

According to the police report, the accident took place on Tuesday at 7 a.m. along the MR3 public road at ECOT where the Peugeot sedan driver knocked down the minor from Nkoyoyo, who reportedly sustained serious head injuries.

She was rushed to Mbabane Government Hospital where she was certified dead upon arrival. He was not injured. Normally in any road accident, the driver is charged with negligence and for contravening Section 89 of the Road Traffic Act.

This is based on different findings by the police which include that the driver could have been over speeding, or the vehicle could have been unroadworthy amongst other things. 

In the event the driver is intoxicated when the accident occurs, it becomes an additional count of contravening Section 91 of the same Act.

However, often at times, in a negligent driving incident that results in the death of another, passenger or pedestrian, the charge becomes a murder or culpable homicide depending on the suspect’s plea of guilt.