Horror crash
2011-07-28
Lise Beyers
THREE brothers died in a horrific car crash on the N1 outside Paarl last Friday morning. The incident occurred near the Huguenot toll plaza where the N1 narrows due to current road works. It is alleged that the driver of a VW Golf, which was travelling in the direction of Worcester, lost control of his vehicle at this point, colliding head-on with a minibus taxi which was travelling in the opposite direction. The force of the impact caused the trailer and the taxi to flip, with the trailer landing on top of the Golf. The Golf then burst into flames with the driver and two passengers trapped inside. Two other passengers managed to escape, but sustained serious burn wounds. All five men travelling in the vehicle were brothers. The deceased are Bongani Batayi and his brothers Fusumzi and Simthembile, all from Mfuleni. A traffic official on the scene said that the accident scene was the most disturbing he has ever witnessed. The deceased were burnt beyond recognition. A total of 22 adults who were travelling in the taxi were hospitalised, as well as five children. On closer inspection of the aftermath of the crash, police found the remains of bags of dagga which is suspected to have been transported in the trailer of the taxi. The taxi was on its way from the Eastern Cape to Cape Town. The N1 was closed in a northerly direction for several hours on Friday morning while forensic investigators scoured the scene of the crash. Police are investigating a case of culpable homicide. * On Monday evening a man from Paarl East was seriously injured when the Toyota Tazz in which he was travelling, collided with a broken down truck, barely a kilometre from Friday’s accident. The Toyota Tazz had taken the Sonstraal exit onto the N1 in the direction of Cape Town. According to Paarl police spokesperson, Capt Louise du Plessis, the cargo truck had parked on the yellow line on the off-ramp without activating its emergency lights. Dirk Africa sustained serious injuries.
More
News
|
