Oribi teacher survives horror plunge into gorge

Melanie Wessels (29) from Oribi Gorge is counting her blessings after surviving a terrifying crash that saw her vehicle roll about 100 metres down a steep gorge at the Oribi Nature Reserve recently. Wessels, who lives in Paddock and works as a preschool teacher in Oribi, has travelled the road daily for the past three years. On the day of the accident, she left work at around 12pm and briefly stopped to speak to her husband, who works in security in the area.

Shortly afterwards, while navigating a sharp bend, she heard what sounded like metal coming loose from her car. Within seconds, she lost control. Her Opel Corsa Lite flipped and rolled down the cliff.

I remember begging God to please stop the car because I couldn’t endure it anymore. The vehicle eventually came to a halt against a small tree stump, a detail Wessels believes saved her life. She was left hanging upside down in the wreckage.

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With a full tank of fuel and the smell of petrol filling the vehicle, she feared it could catch alight or slide further down the slope at any moment. Disoriented and unable to find the ignition to switch off the engine, she knew she had to get out.

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