Tour members recovering after African bus-train crash

Two UW–Madison students were discharged and three other study tour participants were reported in good condition Tuesday, July 6, at a South Africa hospital after their 14-member group was involved in a minibus-train crash Sunday in Malawi.

See also: Details on Malawi study tour participants Vehicle crash in Malawi kills UW student, injures others

Student Michele Tracy, 24, of Middleton, and Malawian bus driver Herbert Chissaka were killed in the crash near the village of Balaka. The group was on a month-long Medical School program in the central African nation led by faculty advisor Craig Gjerde and his spouse, Cristel Gjerde.

Initially, five group members were hospitalized in Johannesburg, South Africa. All have spoken by telephone with their families, said Senior Associate Dean Susan Skochelak of the UW Medical School. Families of the other members of the group also have been notified of the accident, Skochelak said.

“The students and faculty are at a major trauma referral center in South Africa and are all receiving excellent medical care,” Skochelak said. “They also have a pastor and counselors available to speak to if needed.”

State Department officials, a private international assistance company, AEA/International SOS Assistance, and Medical School staff have been working closely to assist the crash victims, Skochelak said. She praised AEA/International SOS Assistance, a Philadelphia-based emergency assistance firm, for arranging emergency medical care and taking care of other business for the crash victims. “Their help went way beyond the terms of the contract,” Skochelak said.

Here is a roundup of related developments Tuesday:

Status of the group
Three people remain hospitalized. All others are staying together at a Johannesburg hotel (please see the accompanying lists for names and more details).

John Frey, chair of the UW–Madison Department of Family Medicine, is en route to Johannesburg to consult with local physicians and assess the health of group members. He is expected to arrive Thursday morning.

The group, which wants to return together to the United States, tentatively is scheduled to return to Madison later Thursday, Skochelak said.

Details of the accident
The crash took place as the group was heading for the airport in Lilongwe to return home. A Lilongwe newspaper, The Nation, reported that police are still investigating the circumstances of the accident. A locomotive on its way to a cement plant in Balaka struck the minibus carrying the group, the newspaper said.

Michele Tracy died at the scene; the minibus driver, Herbert Chissaka, died on the way to the hospital. The crash happened at 7:22 a.m. local time (12:22 a.m. CDT), the report said. The survivors of the crash were transported to Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Blantyre and then airlifted to a trauma center in Johannesburg, South Africa.

July 6 is the national Independence Day holiday in Malawi. All government offices were closed Tuesday, and the U.S. ambassador to the country could not provide more information Tuesday.

Background on the program
The group was in Malawi to study the country’s health-care system and to help develop services for children orphaned by AIDS. Group members had spent a month in Malawi, and had delivered books and other materials to the Malawi Children’s Village, a home for children orphaned by AIDS, which continues to spread rapidly in some African countries.

Tracy Memorial Fund
The family of Michele Tracy has established a memorial fund in her name with the University of Wisconsin Foundation. Donors may designate contributions to the “UW Foundation/Michele Tracy Memorial Fund” and send to: UW Foundation, P.O. Box 8860, Madison, Wis. 53708-8860.

Skochelak, who talked to Tracy’s mother, Candi, said the family wanted it known that despite the tragic death, they were glad Tracy made the trip to fulfill her dream of traveling to help children orphaned by AIDS.

“Michele was an active, caring person who was following her dream of helping others,” Skochelak said. “We have all expressed our caring and love for Michele to the Tracy family.”

Services are pending. Tracy’s body is expected to be returned to Madison this weekend.