SWAKOPMUND - State witness Johan Joubert says there is no way that Walter Helmut Joschko, the German national could have avoided the horrific car accident of 29 December 2014, in which he and five others died between Henties Bay and Swakopmund.
Joubert, an expert and managing director of Traffic Accident Reconstruction Services in South Africa who testified on Tuesday in the murder trial against Jandre Dippenaar, who is accused of being responsible in the car accident where six people died.
Dippenaar who was driving an FJ Cruiser was travelling with, Dinah Pretorius (30) Charlene Schoombe (24) and Jan Carel Horn (26) when he allegedly crashed into a Ford Ranger of a German family that was touring Namibia.
The Germans were Markus Joschko (48), his wife Stephanie Joschko (49), and their 19-year-old daughter Alexandra Joschko. Antonia Joschko now 20, was the only survivor along with Dippenaar.
Quietly seated in the dock, Dippenaar listened to the testimony of Joubert who used a software programme to reconstruct the accident scene that was presented in court.
Joubert testified the accident was unavoidable due to the speed, regardless of the efforts of the Ford Ranger to avoid a collision.
Giving further details, Joubert said that he looked at all evidence, testimonies, eye-witness accounts as well as physical evidence such as skid marks on the roads as well as damages to both vehicles.
“Also based on the accounts of eye witnesses that was driving between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay about an hour prior to the gruesome accident, it indicates that Dippenaar continued with the same mode of driving despite being reported to the neighbourhood watch and being warned by traffic officers,” he said.
Jobert told the court several witness accounts of whom some will still testify later indicated that Dippenaar overtook several vehicles at high speed without taking in consideration oncoming traffic.
“Notably, he overtook three vehicles simultaneously, at a high-speed blind rise and was in the wrong lane when the accident happened. Looking at these accounts and comparing it with physical evidence, solely indicates that the accident was caused by the way and manner that Dippenaar manoeuvred his vehicle. Also that he was in the wrong lane when the accident happened and that the collusion could not have happened in a different way. Again the version of the accused and his defence is impossible judging from the point of impact of the accident,” Joubert told the court.
Joubert indicated he is using a Vista FX programme to recreate the accident scene, testifying that the programme is very accurate and has zero impact on the evidence.
The trial will continue today with Dippenaar’s team cross-examining the state witness.