A woman celebrating her wedding anniversary saw her husband and son killed when a zebra ran in front of their jeep while they were on safari in Namibia.
Sissi Bohlen, who was born in Austria but lives in New York, was riding in a Land Rover through Namibia on January 17 – the date of her 26th wedding anniversary – when the animal jumped out in front of the vehicle.
The impact forced the vehicle off the road where it turned over, killing her 65-year-old husband Edgar and son Vincent, 25, who were sat in the middle row of seats.
Sissi Bohlen was riding in a Land Rover with husband Edgar, 65, and 25-year-old son Vincent (pictured together) in Namibia when a zebra jumped out in front of them
Sissi (left) survived the crash with broken ribs and knee damage, but Edgar (right) – with whom she was celebrating her 26th wedding anniversary – was killed
Mrs Bohlen, who was riding in the back, survived the accident, as did the driver.
She was taken to hospital with damage to her knee, broken ribs and a punctured lung, 27 East reports. The driver’s condition was not reported.
Mrs Bohlen spent almost two weeks recovering in hospital and on Monday was well enough to fly and see her family in Austria on Monday.
The couple had booked the trip last year for their 25th wedding anniversary, to coincide with their 26th anniversary, which was this year.
Mr and Mrs Bohlen met in New York in 1991 before getting married the following year, son Vincent was born shortly after.
He was due to celebrate his 26th birthday in March. He was the couple’s only child.
Vincent, a graduate of NYU’s Stern Business School who was just getting into the family business of real estate, was also killed
The father and son (pictured) were riding in the middle row of seats during the accident, while Sissi was in the back. The driver was cleared of any blame and released
Mr Bohlen, originally from Germany, emigrated to America in the 1980s where he worked as a real estate developer.
Vincent studied at NYU’s Stern School of Business, graduating a year and a half early before working as a financial analyst in Washington DC.
He returned to New York City in 2017 to take what had been his current job as a senior associate at Edge Principal, a real estate investment company.
Namibian authorities questioned the driver over the accident, but found he had not been speeding and was not under the influence of any substances at the time.
The man, who has been with the safari tour company for years, was subsequently released without charge.