By William Mbangula Oshakati Judith Bauleth could probably have become one of Namibia’s dentists whose services are much coveted, but this opportunity was cruelly shattered one fateful afternoon when a road accident between Ondangwa and Ongwediva cost her not only the dream of her life but also resulted in her permanent disability. On March 4, 1998, Bauleth was travelling with her relatives from Ondangwa to Oshakati when the accident occurred, leaving her paralysed. This has been attributed to the carelesness of the driver of the other vehicle who swerved into the road, forcing the driver of the car – in which Bauleth was a passenger – who was desperately attempting to avoid it, but instead hit a nearby tree and overturned. Bauleth was thrown out through the back window which caused her to suffer mainly broken C4, C5 and C6 neck bones. She was the main casualty of the accident and spent the next six months in hospital, which left her incapable of doing anything for herself with her hands, let alone eat, scratch, wash herself, bath, or even turn herself around in a wheelchair. “I was a healthy young lady, full of dreams and working for Supreme Barnetts Furniture as a saleslady when all my dreams were taken away from me on that fateful day. I have been going through denial because I could not accept what had happened to me,” she said. And now, Bauleth is currently facing financial problems due to her acute situation, which needs specialized treatment and environment. After the accident, she continued to receive her monthly salary for 12 months, followed by a claim from the Motor Vehicle Accident (MVA) Fund which only paid out a maximum amount of N$25ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 in 1999 and of which N$7ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 500 was paid to a local law firm for service fees. In terms of the Single Car Accident Act of 1990, as explained by the MVA Branch Manager, Helen Shilongo, she could only receive a maximum of N$25ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000. Shilongo spoke to New Era at Bauleth’s house during one of her frequent visits there as part of her company’s follow-up policy on accident victims. Two years later, Bauleth was able to have her claim of N$35ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 paid out by Old Mutual as a disability cover payment. Having exhausted her resources, Bauleth told New Era that she was only surviving on the N$370 monthly disability pension, and assistance from good Samaritans who pass her house. One of her most dependable pillars is her 14-year-old daughter, who does all the work at home, including washing, feeding and clothing her, besides any other essential services at home. When the daughter is away at school, Bauleth is compelled to hire someone at a cost to look after her. “I cannot afford transport to take me to hospital three times a month. I need a proper wheelchair because the one I am using was borrowed from the hospital and needs to be returned. “Also, this accident has caused me to have a metal plate inserted in my spinal cord in the neck. It gets boiling hot, and leaves me short of breath. The doctor who inserted this metal plate advised me that it could cause an infection some time in the future. An operation to have it removed is estimated to cost about N$30ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000, and this on top of the N$36ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 I still owe the hospital for the previous operation,” Bauleth said. Bauleth, who is now 32, wanted to become a dentist after completing her Grade 12 at Gabriel Taapopi Secondary School at Ongwediva in 1994. According to her, she was still in the process of improving some of the key subjects for such a career whilst at the same time trying to obtain a bursary when the accident shattered her promising future.