A 40-year-old mother and her two children died in a dreadful road accident when their Ford Courier bakkie collided with a horse and trailer truck along the A1 Highway near the Tati Siding Village, 15 kilometres south of Francistown. The two deceased children were aged 15 and 10 years old.
The Sunday morning accident was confirmed to The Telegraph by Kutlwano Police Station Traffic Officer, Superintendent Pelontle Kesupile.
At the time of the accident, the late mother, whose name has not yet been released until her next of kin are informed, is understood to have been coming from church with five children. The other three children (8, 10 and 12), who sustained minor injuries, are recuperating at Nyangabwe Referral Hospital in Francistown.
The truck was north bound to Francistown while the Courier bakkie was south bound at the time of the fatal accident.
“It seems the woman lost control of the vehicle and collided with the oncoming truck which was going to Francistown. The three were confirmed dead upon arrival at Nyangabwe Referral Hospital and three of the children are currently recuperating at the hospital where they are being treated for minor injuries,” he said, adding that they were conducting investigations to establish the real cause of the accident although preliminary investigations point to the bad weather of persistent rainfall.
On a different note, Kesupile said that although they have recorded a significant decline of accidents in the past years.
“Accidents in our policing area have been on the decrease for the past few years, but we cannot relax and fold our arms as the police. Loss of lives should always be avoided at all times,” he said.
He further appealed to motorists to be very cautious when driving given the fact that it is the beginning of the year when a number of young children are beginning their studies at primary schools.
“I would like to plead with the motorists to bear in mind the fact that schools have just opened and there are little children who are commencing their studies, therefore they should drive carefully not to kill these poor little children,” he said.
The police are currently engaged in road campaigns to try and curb road accidents.
