A pursuit by Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) officers, resulted in two vehicles colliding on the R550 towards Alberton, leaving at least one person seriously injured.
The incident occurred around 16:00 on February 17 when a bakkie in pursuit by an EMPD vehicle, came speeding off Woodpecker Road in Duduza.
“I was walking when a bakkie sped past me and as it turned into the R550. It collided with a truck, sending one of the occupants flying through the air,” an eye witness told HERAUT on the scene.
According to information provided by SAPS Duduza, the driver of the bakkie made an illegal U-turn on Woodpecker Road in an attempt to escape a roadblock further ahead and collided with a truck travelling on the R550 towards Alberton.
“The EMPD officer who chased after the driver said the culprit made no effort to stop for oncoming traffic and drove in front of the truck who then rammed it from behind. The impact sent the bakkie into nearby bushes”, SAPS Duduza’s spokesperson W/O Imtiaz Rasool said.
The driver of the bakkie and one of the passengers managed to pull themselves from the wreck and fled the scene on foot, leaving an injured passenger behind.
“When we arrived, we found one of the occupants several metres from the bakkie. He was in need of immediate medical assistance as he suffered head injuries”, Duduza Emergency Services manager Malose Seefane said.
The injured passenger was stabilised on the scene before he was transported to the Pholosong Hospital where he underwent surgery for a broken jawbone.
The owner of the bakkie later arrived at the scene, claiming she knows the men, but that they had taken the bakkie without her permission.
“The owner lent the bakkie to the men for work purposes before, but on the day of the incident, they did not have her permission to use it. It is not clear why they were avoiding the roadblock or fleeing the scene,”W/O Rasool said.
The police are now in search of the men who fled the scene and a case of reckless and negligent driving is being investigated.
