It was a scene plucked from the centre of hell sprawling lifeless bodies could be seen on the tarmac with one wailing voice yelling for help whilst some individuals were busy video recording the distressing scene with their smartphones.
Eighteen members from two families lost their lives in the tragic accident after an Isuzu KB double cab truck collided head-on with a BMW along the Harare-Nyamapanda highway. The videos immediately went viral even before family members were alerted.
Fatalities of this nature are nothing new in the country but the continued trend of filming accident victims is worrying despite cautions from authorities.
Early this year, Deputy national police spokesperson Chief Superintendent Blessmore Chishaka issued a statement warning members of the public to desist from recording, posting footage or photos from road accident scenes.
“The Zimbabwe Republic Police is concerned with some members of the public who record video footage or photograph scenes of road traffic accidents, scenes of murder or other heinous crimes (and) posting the footage on social media platforms.
“Images of wreckages, dead bodies and other sensitive scenes are then posted on social media without regard to the negative effects. Some of the recordings are alarming and may cause despondency, while others are not suitable for people with nervous dispositions.” said Chief Superintendent Chishaka
One family member Trevor Matambo described the video recording as unfortunate and did not only rob the dead of their dignity but was a sign of disrespect to culture.
“The accident was unfortunate but people should just desist from filming such scenes. Imagine some of our relatives had to know about the tragic demise of our relatives through social media. Those taking the video or pictures are not only robing the dignity of the dead, they are disrespecting our culture. It is sad we have such kind of people in our society.” said Matambo
Dr. Alphios Marimo, a private psychologist says the taking and posting of videos and pictures from an accident scene may bring health problems to viewers.
“We are living in an evolving world where everyone by virtue of having a smartphone has become a professional videographer or photographer who would want to break the news before others can do it.
“Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and other anxiety disorders are real mental health disabilities that have physical, emotional, and mental symptoms that are triggered by stimuli that recalls an individual’s experience of trauma. Individuals do not have control over what triggers them, but many have personal strategies they use to cope with triggers when they must be encountered. Those strategies generally work best when the trigger is expected and can be prepared for in advance of the encounter.” said Dr. Marimo
He adds “Some people think they are fulfilling the purpose of making an accident public yet they do not know the implications that it has to an individual who is to view it. Some may stumble upon it unknowingly”
Owen Dhliwayo a social commentator says the dissemination of images that are not suitable for society is a result of the absence of norms and value that define humanity.
“A society is defined by its set of norms and values that constitute a concept known as Ubuntu, these are the sanctity of life and the reverence of the dead. Social media is being abused in disseminating images of accident victims and is a result of an absence of social norms and values. As much as people want to circulate information about an accident, it is prudent to do it with due diligence and care.” said Dhliwayo
Accident scenes taken by professional journalists, photographers and videographers for use in news rarely feature bodies and come with warnings and are rarely graphic and may be captured from a distant. Professional images are in sharp contrast to online sharers who have no remorse over sharing distressing images.
It is probably time to have laws that criminalises the sharing of sensitive pictures and videos from an accident scene
Those who perished in the horrific accident may not know but relatives, friends and others who have come across the disturbing videos will still have memories of the awful tragedy.
