Bela-Bela tops at Spar crash mystery

A top-of-the-range Toyota Fortuner drove its way into concrete slab barriers on the walls of the Bela-Bela downtown Tops Bottle Store on the evening of Saturday 5 October, leaving in its trail destruction and unanswered questions.

Video footage shows the runaway vehicle driving into smaller barriers protecting the entrance into SuperSpar.

Then suddenly the vehicle is captured turning, picking up speed and smashing head-on into the huge pillars holding aloft the overhead shade along the bottle store’s side wall.

Bela-Bela police spokesperson, Sergeant Frans Maponya, said a case of reckless and/or negligent driving was reported at the local police station.

No one had been charged at the time of going to print.

Maponya was not in a position to give further information as to detailed circumstances ahead of and during what looked like a mysterious crash.

Maponya confirmed that two other sedan vehicles were damaged at the scene of the crash.

Owner of the building, Eddie Alberts, said the walkway — a favourite resting place for shoppers – would not be accessible until the completion of repairs.

He could not readily estimate on the cost of the damage.

— The BEAT