August 12, 2016

An Accident - Gabby went to the office with us today. We took the Campbell's to the Mission Home with us this morning and they were in the vehicle with us on the way home. We were on the outskirts of Grafton and Don was passing a slow taxi when a big yellow pota-pota (taxi van full of people) began passing us. So we were three wide on a two lane road. The pota-pota side swiped us and when he did he almost lost control of his vehicle and began to swerve. He got it under control. At a safe place, Don pulled off the road and the yellow pota-pota was forced to pull in behind us by Ocata drivers. Many people piled out of the pota-pota. Immediately Ocata (motorcycle) drivers began stopping and there was getting to be a crowd. They were all yelling and talking at once. Hands were just a- flying. Someone asked who the driver was of the pota-pota and someone pointed to a young man who looked to be about 14 years old. He denied he was the driver. An Ocata driver hauled off and punched him and a scuffle ensued. At this point, Don got on the phone and called President Clawson and told him what was happening and that the crowd was getting nasty. President Clawson told Don to get out of there and they would deal with it under safer conditions. Don got in the vehicle and we left. Don told us all the Ocata drivers were standing up for him and was against the black pota-pota driver. I was terrified. A white man against a black man doesn't hold a candle here. I kept saying in the vehicle, "Oh, I hope they don't hurt him". I heard all the yelling and saw the commotion but I did not know they were standing up for Don. Don learned that the pota-pota driver had hit an Ocata and had "damaged" the driver and took off. He was being chased by the Ocata drivers and that is why the pota-pota driver was trying to pass us as we were passing the slow taxi. He said the Ocata drivers were asking him for money to get the "damaged" Ocata driver some help. That would have been fine under different circumstances. But to pull out a wallet in front of all those hot-heads would have been very dangerous for Don. The damage to the truck isn't as bad as it could be. The mirror is torn off and the driver's door is sprung and of course there are scratches all along the side and front fender. Having Brother Campbell in the vehicle with us was a blessing. He was able to speak Kreo and translate for Don. Gabby was sitting on the driver's side of the vehicle and it really shook her up to have been hit on that side of the truck. No one was hurt. We drove about a mile to the police check point to report the accident. There was only one police officer there and he would not take our report because that was someone else's job and that person was not there. So the accident did not get reported