Cape Town - A man lost his life in a freak accident on Wednesday morning when a container fell off a truck, crushing his vehicle.
The incident occurred around 7.30am on the N2 near Macassar at the Kramat Bridge.
An eyewitness described the harrowing scene, explaining that the truck carrying the container had been swerving moments before the accident.
“I noticed the truck with the huge container as I was driving behind it in the slow lane. When it reached the bridge, the the container hit the bridge, then fell onto the fast lane, and crushed a mini truck and a red VW Polo before rolling off the road,” he said.
The witness, who stopped to help, recounted his traumatic experience.
“I got out of my car with other motorists, and we ran to assist. We managed to get one person out, but when we reached the mini truck, I could see the driver was already gone. It was too much to bear, and I had to leave the scene.”
Cape Town Traffic Service spokesperson, Kevin Jacobs, confirmed that officers were present at the accident scene on the N2 outbound at Kramat Road.
He reported that three vehicles were involved, including the container truck, and the N2 outbound was closed at Baden Powell Drive for several hours due to the accident.
Police spokesperson, Joseph Swartbooi, provided additional details.
“Reports indicate that a delivery vehicle was travelling on the N2 highway in the direction of Strand when the container struck the Kramat Bridge and detached from the truck, causing serious damage and fatalities,” Swartbooi said.
“The driver of one vehicle, a male, sustained fatal injuries and was declared deceased on the scene by medical personnel. Five other victims — three males and two females, aged between 34 and 37 — sustained injuries and were transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.”
Macassar police have opened a case of culpable homicide and are investigating the circumstances surrounding the accident.
Police have urged anyone who witnessed the incident or has information to contact Crime Stop at 08600 10111.