Driver on the run after fatal accident that claimed two lives and injured 20
Ward 94 councillor, David Foley, said the truck's passengers were allegedly new employees of a construction company and were travelling from Soweto.
On July 24, a white Hyundai H100 bakkie with a load of construction workers from Soweto overturned; killing two men between the ages of 20 and 30. The horrific accident happened on Mulbarton Road in Beverley.
Speaking to Fourways Review – Ward 94 councillor David Foley said the truck was transporting the new employees of a construction company in the area.
“I am not sure of what the construction company name is, but I believe the police and JMPD have all the information in that regard because they also attended the scene.”
He said the accident happened in the morning at around 07:00, “I heard a lot of commotion. It was the ambulances, JMPD, security, and the police. I took a walk down there because it was not far from where I stay.”
Foley told us that he spoke with the leader of the construction workers who told him that ‘he brought them up from Soweto. He said while coming down Mulbarton Road; the truck’s brakes failed. I do not know what happened, but I heard that some people [allegedly] jumped off, others were lucky, and the truck overturned right at the end before the river.”
He added that two people were reported to be deceased upon his arrival, “It is so sad because these were very young guys, I think between the ages 20 and 30. But, it was a mix of people in the truck including the elderly. Some got lucky because he just twisted his ankle.”
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) spokesperson Xolani Fihla confirmed in a media statement that the vehicle was travelling east on Marlburton Road down the steep downhill when the driver lost control of the vehicle and collided with a tree before it overturned.
“After the accident had occurred the driver fled the scene. One female passenger sustained serious injuries and was taken to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital. Nineteen male passengers from the vehicle sustained moderate to serious injuries and they were taken to various hospitals. Two males who were also passengers in the vehicle sustained fatal injuries and their bodies were removed and taken to Hillbrow mortuary.”
Fihla said a case of culpable homicide will be opened at Douglasdale police station for further investigation while Foley concluded that there are plans in place to try to make the road extra safe for both motorists and pedestrians in the area.
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