Homeless city man hit by car

LOFTEY Lottering (23), a homeless man who makes a meagre income by selling the Big Issue magazine, has been involved in a hit-and-run accident.

Lottering and a friend were trying to cross Mandume Ndemufayo Avenue in Windhoek in the early hours of October 4 when a speeding Mercedes Benz hit him. “We were standing at the robot and saw the car speeding towards us.My friend jumped out of the way but I was too late,” Lottering told The Namibian.Lottering’s leg bones were shattered and he had to undergo an operation.”I felt worthless when I saw the car speeding away, leaving me in the gutter in excruciating pain.”A traffic officer who saw the incident followed the car and arrested the driver.By law, a person can only be held without charge for 48 hours, and because Lottering was in hospital, he could not lay charges.The driver was set free.A metal plate and pins now keep Lottering’s bones in position, but for a proper recovery he needs decent food, rest and hygienic surroundings – things that are hard to come by for a homeless person.During the day he hobbles to the offices of The Big Issue, where he lies on a sofa, but at night when the office closes he is back on the street, sleeping under a bridge.”I wonder if the man that rode over me and left me lying in the street thinks about me when he is in his comfortable home while I am in pain in the street,” Lottering said.”We were standing at the robot and saw the car speeding towards us.My friend jumped out of the way but I was too late,” Lottering told The Namibian.Lottering’s leg bones were shattered and he had to undergo an operation.”I felt worthless when I saw the car speeding away, leaving me in the gutter in excruciating pain.”A traffic officer who saw the incident followed the car and arrested the driver.By law, a person can only be held without charge for 48 hours, and because Lottering was in hospital, he could not lay charges.The driver was set free.A metal plate and pins now keep Lottering’s bones in position, but for a proper recovery he needs decent food, rest and hygienic surroundings – things that are hard to come by for a homeless person.During the day he hobbles to the offices of The Big Issue, where he lies on a sofa, but at night when the office closes he is back on the street, sleeping under a bridge.”I wonder if the man that rode over me and left me lying in the street thinks about me when he is in his comfortable home while I am in pain in the street,” Lottering said.