A Hout Bay woman says she is lucky to be alive after her car shot off the cliff-edge of Victoria Road and rolled down onto the rocks below.
Giorgie Mittön was on her way to work in the CBD last Wednesday, at about 7.20am, when, she said, the car behind her drove her off the road.
“I noticed the driver behind me was quite a distance away. When I looked in my rear-view mirror, I saw the car coming towards me fast, trying to catch up and the driver appeared to be looking down,” said Ms Mittön.
Realising that the car wouldn’t have time to slow down, she tried to move to the left to give the car room to stop, but it was too late.
“When I saw the rocks below in my windscreen as I started to roll, I closed my eyes, held the steering wheel tightly, thinking, ‘this is it, Giorg’,” she told Sentinel News.
Once the car stopped rolling, Ms Mittön took off her seat belt and started making her way up the rocks, fearing the car could catch alight or explode.
“I was extremely lucky, not only to walk away with moderate injuries but also that it is a populated area in the mornings,
with Mark’s coffee being a morning ritual for many,” said Ms Mittön.
“This meant there were a large number of people on the scene to assist, some drivers who stopped, and others who were already there.”
Charl Witte and Ted Shapley were two of the men who helped Ms Mittön collect her valuables from her car, walked her to the road and helped to stabilise her while waiting for paramedics.
“Another anonymous woman also helped in keeping in contact with my mother, Yoli, who I had called off someone’s phone and was on the way.
“These three were like real-life angels, and I am eternally grateful for such kindness, generosity of spirit and gentle assistance,” said Ms Mittön.
She only sustained moderate injuries, including whiplash and a haematoma to the right side of her skull.
She is wearing a neck brace and being treated by a physiotherapist.
Ms Mittön believes it was her seat belt that saved her life and she urges all drivers to remain alert, awake and drive carefully because no rush is worth the risk.
“This experience was not only emotionally and physically damaging, but now also created unnecessary financial pressure too. A few moments of negligence, wavered attention or unexpected happenings can cause irrevocable loss and damage in many people’s lives.”
Despite the ordeal, Ms Mittön is seeking trauma counselling so she can face it head on and remain positive.
“The experience as a whole has also been such a great reflection on humanity and how kind people are. As cliché as it sounds, it makes you appreciate the small things, and observe life with wider eyes,” she said.
In April last year, a biker lost his life, following a crash between him and two other motor vehicles on Victoria Road.
Camps Bay police spokesman, Captain Keith Chandler said the other driver was not charged but he had apologised to Ms Mittön.
