‘I jumped to save my life’
ILENI NANDJATO
Warrant Officer Leonard Paulus (47), the acting station commander at the Omuthiya police station, is recovering in the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital after he was hit by a police car in the presidential motorcade on Sunday.
He told Namibian Sun that besides a broken left leg, he sustained only scratches and bruises.
Paulus said he tried to jump over the police car when he saw it approaching him at high speed. He said if he could not have jumped he do not think he could survived or he could has seriously injured.
He said the accident took place a moment after he had finished deploying police officers to maintain security during President Hage Geingob’s visit to the town.
He was standing at the turn-off to the Omuthiya Elcin church when the president’s motorcade approached from the Ondangwa side.
The police cars were escorting President Hage Geingob to the church for a service before his campaign rally at the same town that afternoon.
“When I was at the turning point I was vigilant and observant. There were three escort traffic vehicles leading the motorcade. The first two cars were travelling parallel while the third one was behind them.
“I noticed that the two leading cars knew were the turning point was and they started reducing speed while approaching the turn-off. The third car was still at high speed and it swerved out of the road to avoid hitting the other vehicles,” Paulus said from his hospital bed.
“I saw the car was coming straight at me. There was nothing I could do. Since I am a trained police officer, I decided to jump to avoid being hit. The next thing I saw I was already in the hospital.”
The car’s windscreen hit Paulus in the leg.
The hospital’s acting medical superintendent, Dr Vizkaya Amutenya, confirmed that Paulus sustained a broken leg and was recovering well.
The police have opened a case of reckless driving against the traffic officer who was driving the car.
The regional police commander, Commissioner Armas Shivute, said he was in contact with Paulus every day to check on his recovery.
Warrant Officer Leonard Paulus (47), the acting station commander at the Omuthiya police station, is recovering in the Oshakati Intermediate Hospital after he was hit by a police car in the presidential motorcade on Sunday.
He told Namibian Sun that besides a broken left leg, he sustained only scratches and bruises.
Paulus said he tried to jump over the police car when he saw it approaching him at high speed. He said if he could not have jumped he do not think he could survived or he could has seriously injured.
He said the accident took place a moment after he had finished deploying police officers to maintain security during President Hage Geingob’s visit to the town.
He was standing at the turn-off to the Omuthiya Elcin church when the president’s motorcade approached from the Ondangwa side.
The police cars were escorting President Hage Geingob to the church for a service before his campaign rally at the same town that afternoon.
“When I was at the turning point I was vigilant and observant. There were three escort traffic vehicles leading the motorcade. The first two cars were travelling parallel while the third one was behind them.
“I noticed that the two leading cars knew were the turning point was and they started reducing speed while approaching the turn-off. The third car was still at high speed and it swerved out of the road to avoid hitting the other vehicles,” Paulus said from his hospital bed.
“I saw the car was coming straight at me. There was nothing I could do. Since I am a trained police officer, I decided to jump to avoid being hit. The next thing I saw I was already in the hospital.”
The car’s windscreen hit Paulus in the leg.
The hospital’s acting medical superintendent, Dr Vizkaya Amutenya, confirmed that Paulus sustained a broken leg and was recovering well.
The police have opened a case of reckless driving against the traffic officer who was driving the car.
The regional police commander, Commissioner Armas Shivute, said he was in contact with Paulus every day to check on his recovery.
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