NKURENKURU - A 33-year-old man was arrested by the police in Nkurenkuru yesterday morning after he allegedly fled an accident scene and left the vehicle behind without assisting an injured pedestrian.
He allegedly bumped a pedestrian in the early hours of Thursday and fled. The pedestrian, who was seriously injured, later died on the way to the Rundu Hospital.
The suspect will face a host of charges including culpable homicide, reckless and/or negligent driving, failing to render assistance to an injured person after an accident, failing to ascertain the nature and extent of damage sustained after an accident as well as defeating the course of justice.
“The driver of a blue BMW was driving on the D3406 Nkurenkuru main road from east to west. Upon reaching the expo site, he bumped a pedestrian and fled the scene, leaving the vehicle behind without assisting the pedestrian who was seriously injured,” said the police in a report.
The deceased was identified as Ngoma Jacob Sapalo, 23, a resident of Nkurenkuru NHE. He succumbed to head injuries, with both arms and his left leg fractured, while he also suffered an injury on the right side of the forehead as well as a cut wound on the backside.
The 33-year-old suspect, who is now in police custody, is a resident of Nkurenkuru.
“The driver was traced, arrested and detained at the Kahenge Police Station at Nkurenkuru,” said the police.
In a separate hit-and-run incident, the Kavango West Police are still searching for another suspect who on Saturday along the Rundu-Nkurenkuru highway at Karangana village ran over a 19-year-old man, identified as Hango Frans Haruwodi. Haruwodi was found around 05h00, lying along the road injured and unconscious by a passerby.
“The victim sustained injuries that suggest that he was hit by an unknown vehicle. Broken pieces of a mudguard of a silver vehicle were found on the scene of the accident,” said the police in a statement.
Haruwodi was rushed to the Rundu Intermediate Hospital, and is in a critical condition. The police are now investigating a hit-and-run incident, and have asked for anyone with information to assist them in apprehending the culprit as there is still no lead.
Caption: (Driver)