Walter Fischel’s GPS route took him from Nyanga, where he was shot.
A 55-year-old American tourist has spoken out about his nightmare holiday that left him in hospital after he was robbed and shot in the face in one of the world’s most dangerous neighborhoods. Accordingly The sunWalter Fischel, from Connecticut in the United States, was shot in the face on the same day he landed at Cape Town International Airport in South Africa earlier this month. The 55-year-old was still recovering from surgery when he shared the harrowing account of his near-death experience while on holiday in South Africa.
Mr Fischel landed in Cape Town on November 3 to visit his friends, the outlet reported. He soon rented a car and exchanged money at the airport before making his way to his accommodation in Simon’s Town. The 55-year-old entered his destination into the GPS and chose the shortest route. However, he didn’t know that the route would take him through Nyanga, a district considered one of the most dangerous places in the world.
“I wanted to visit Simons Town and then go to Hermanus, spend six or seven days in Hermanus and then return to the United States,” Mr. Fischel said News24. “(I) chose the route – the shortest distance – that wasn’t the highway because there was obviously traffic on the highway,” he said.
According to the 55-year-old, the GPS route took him from Nyanga, which he said was “not the best place” and the traffic was so crowded that he had to stop. At that point, he said four men surrounded his car and then shot him in the face.
“It got so slow that it stopped and the man reached in, opened the lock, opened the door, and one of his accomplices opened the passenger door,” Mr. Fischel told the outlet.
The American tourist said he tried to reach for the man’s gun, but the gunman “turned away from me while his accomplice in the car grabbed some of the goods.” Then he was shot, the men grabbed the keys and threw him out of his vehicle.
“Then I opened the trunk to grab my bag, which I did, and then they chased me, grabbed me, took the bag from me and left me there with a gunshot wound,” Mr. Fischel said. “I spat out some teeth and the bullet,” he added.
Also read | Italian man who killed girlfriend over breadcrumbs is released in prison because of poor diet
Accordingly The sunMr. Fischel was taken to a local hospital where doctors told him what had happened to him. “They told me they would take care of me. Very good doctors,” he said.
But doctors soon realized they were unequipped to treat Mr. Fischel when they discovered he had a broken jaw and a bullet hole still in his face. He was then quickly transferred to the Rondebosch Medical Center in Cape Town, which had the necessary doctors and equipment to help him.
Had his wound been further up or down, there was a good chance he would have died, the American tourist said. The doctors, however, said so News24 that the team had to secure an airway to save Mr. Fischel as blood could have entered his lungs.
The 55-year-old is now recovering. He said he was grateful to be alive but angry because he didn’t see it coming. As he waits to return to the United States, Mr. Fischel said there are not enough warnings for foreigners. He called on the city’s law enforcement agencies to take better measures to ensure the safety of travelers.
Source : www.ndtv.com