An alleged speeding Checkers Sixty60 delivery man knocked over an elderly woman in a wheelchair on Koeberg Road in Brooklyn.
An eyewitness tells the Daily Voice that she was in a taxi on her way to the clinic when the car stopped at the red robot and a loud screeching sound could be heard.
“I looked to the left and saw this Checkers bike speed past us, he drove through the standing cars and further ahead he knocked into the lady who was at the pedestrian crossing in her wheelchair,” the witness said.
She says the ou vrou was “flung into the air”.
“The driver drove right over the pavement into the barricade and fell off the bike. He looked OK because he sat up against the wall but the lady was just lying there and didn't move.”
The injured victim was transported to hospital by an ambulance. A post on Facebook describing the accident sent users into a frenzy, lashing out at delivery drivers.
A man wrote: “These bikers are a menace on the roads.”
Another woman, who recognised the victim, said: “I hope she is okay, though, and that a$$wipe gets fined and company informed. These bikers don’t drive in the streets; they use pavements or walkways to drive through nowadays.”
In a statement, Shoprite Checkers media said: “We cannot comment on the details of the accident as it is a police matter.”
However, police said they had no record of the incident at time of inquiry.
Checkers further said operators of the Sixty60 bikes undergo a comprehensive vetting process before being contracted.
“Company policy requires a valid driver’s licence and registration with the South African Revenue Services (SARS).
“If the contracted driver is a foreign national, they also require the necessary documents to work in South Africa,” it stated.
It said drivers also receive training on safety protocols and accident procedures, advanced driving skills, defensive driving techniques and anti-hijacking driving techniques.
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za