Cathren Trollip (9) was injured when a car hit her. (Photo: Provided)
A nine-year-old girl from Krugersdorp is currently awaiting an operation in the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital after she was hit by a car on Tuesday. The incident took place shortly after 14:00 in Tanner Street in Krugersdorp West.
Esmarelda van Zyl (40), founder of the WAS Foundation charity, says little Cathren (Katryn) Trollip, a gr. 5-learner at Laerskool Ebenhaeser, was walking with a friend from this organization’s soup kitchen in Tannerstraat to a nearby shop when the incident took place.
Cathren’s mother, Riekie, is the manager of the soup kitchen and Cathren helped, among other things, to count Easter eggs on the day in question. The family also lives on this premises.
According to Van Zyl, Cathren suffered several injuries, including a ruptured liver and a broken jaw.
It is still unknown what exactly led to the accident, but according to Van Zyl, the motorist did stop and the accident was reported to the police.
Cathren cannot remember much of the incident either.
“Later that evening in the hospital, she told Riekie ‘mummy don’t be angry with the aunt who hit me, it was an accident’.”
Cathren was apparently awake when emergency services and a team from the local AfriForum branch were called to the scene. It was arranged that Cathren, whose parents do not have a medical fund, was transported to the Netcare Krugersdorp hospital where she was put under strong anesthesia and underwent several tests.
Although with the help of the organization’s supporters there is believed to be more than R40 000 collected is to help with Cathren’s medical expenses, there was not enough money to operate on Cathren at a private hospital or transfer her to the Netcare Garden City hospital to be treated there.
She therefore had to be transferred to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Johannesburg where she is currently being treated.
All the necessary tests and scans were apparently done at the Netcare Krugersdorp hospital before the transfer, which confirmed that Cathren’s liver had burst and caused internal bleeding.
Her jaw was also broken in two places and the jaw was cracked.
“The doctor at Netcare assisted us very well. He called himself and was able to arrange a bed for us in the high-care unit of the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital’s children’s department. He assured us that their children’s section is very good. All the necessary reports were provided to this hospital.
“She is last night [Dinsdagaand] transferred there. They could not operate immediately, there was too much swelling. But she is becoming now [Woensdagoggend] prepared for her first operation,” Van Zyl said.
According to information that Riekie passed on to Van Zyl on Wednesday, this operation will last approximately two hours.
Among other things, a plate will be placed in her jaw and removed again after six to eight weeks. Some of the damaged teeth in the back of her mouth will also be extracted. However, her liver looks good and there is no more bleeding or leakage at this stage.
Rhewal has made an inquiry to the police, but has not yet received a response.
