UPDATE: Car struck by train: driver killed
A 37-year-old Minnebron man was killed in Brenthurst, on Friday morning, last week, when the car in which he was travelling, was struck by a train.
Jaco Jacobs, a married father of two, was declared dead at the scene, along a section of railway line, near the Schapenrust Railway Station.
According to William Ntladi, media liaison officer for the Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services, the train was travelling en route to Springs from Johannesburg when the collision happened.
“The accident happened just after the train left the Brakpan Railway Station and the accident was not at the level crossing area,” he said.
“The vehicle caught fire due to the high magnitude of the impact.”
He told the Herald that when the fire brigade arrived, the vehicle was still engulfed in flames.
“The driver was trapped inside the wreckage and couldn’t escape the blaze,” explained Ntladi.
“Unfortunately, he suffered severe burn wounds all over his body and died on scene.”
Ntladi stated that none of the train passengers or crew were injured, and that events leading up to the crash are undetermined and will be investigated.
“Brakpan police and Metro Rail have opened an inquest docket into the incident,” he added.
The Jacobs family declined to speak to the Herald, but a statement was issued by family spokesperson Adri van Zyl.
Van Zyl confirmed the incident and stated that Jacobs possibly lost consciousness and control of his vehicle.
The statement continued to say that the vehicle left the road and overturned, then landed on the railway line and was struck by the train.
The family, who are awaiting the results of the inquest, requested privacy.
