The tunnel at the scene of a massive explosion, 27 December that took place in Boksburg, 24 December 2022. At least 18 people have died as a result of the blast with many more still in hospital. . Picture: Neil McCartney / The Citizen
The driver of the gas truck which exploded in Boksburg on Christmas Eve tried his best to save people by trying to clear the danger area around the vehicle before the blast, according his employers.
But according to police sources, quoting eyewitness accounts, the driver ran away from the truck, shouting warnings as he ran.
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Investigators are also concerned about what they see as anomalies in his account of events as conveyed by his employer.
Innovative Staffing Solutions (ISS), the employer of the driver, said in a statement that on getting stuck, the driver warned as many people as possible that the vehicle was about to blow up and that they had to get away.
His actions, as detailed in the statement, may have saved lives. The company provided the driver service to Infinity Logistics, which owned the truck.
ISS managing director Arnoux Mare said once the driver realised the truck was stuck under the bridge and that a liquid petroleum gas (LPG) cap was sliced off, he ran out and warned as many people as he could.
This, Mare said, happened around 6.15am. The statement said 30 minutes after getting stuck, the truck ignited, and 39 minutes after that, it exploded.
Mare said: “When he heard a metal scraping sound, he immediately stopped the vehicle and jumped out. He first checked the front of the vehicle and could not detect any damage.”
He then noted a security company helped the driver barrier tape the front and rear of the vehicle after he noticed the gas leak. He added: “He managed to stop three vehicles, but others drove through his barricade and would not heed his warnings.”
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According to a police source close to the investigation, eyewitnesses said the driver instead ran from the stranded truck, yelling warnings as he raced away.
Mare’s statement also said the driver called the fire department and his ISS controller. Clayton Viljoen, who runs a local community charity called Urban Ruins, was one of the first at the scene after the blast, which caused the fire.
Although he was on the northern side of the bridge and not able to see the opposite side of the blast, he said he did not see any emergency vehicles until after the second blast.
He told The Citizen they had to move bodies out of the way to clear a path for the fire department. Viljoen also confirmed that neither the SA Police Service, nor the Ekhuruleni Metro Police Department were present for some time after the incident.
Mare’s version said the driver was eventually overcome by gas fumes after securing the area and rescued by emergency services before being taken to a private hospital, where he was arrested on Christmas Day.
The police source disagreed with the statement by Mare, saying some of the information did not match what investigators had learnt at the scene.
It was not clear whether the private security guards assisting the driver were also hospitalised.
Eugene Herbert, former motoring journalist, chair of the Road Safety Partnership and co-founder of the Road Ethics Project, said: “Truth be told, there is much we do not know and, while conjecture is inevitable, we should wait for the matter to be fully investigated.
“We can, however, safely assume that, given the low standards of many drivers [on our roads], every responsible company and chief executive should ensure the training of their drivers, both on road and for transportation of hazardous materials is the very best it can be.”
Mare emphasised that the driver was well versed in working at heights, with seven years of experience in transporting hazardous materials. He said the driver was in possession of a professional driving qualification.
In the period leading up to the accident, the driver got lost, he said. He was on his way from Richards Bay to Botswana.
He said: “After overnighting for approximately 10 hours at an approved truck stop, the driver took the wrong exit to get onto the N17 highway.
He immediately tried to correct himself to get back on route.” That detour that took him under the low-hanging bridge and past Tambo Memorial Hospital.
The police source said the route deviation was significant, and it does not make sense. Also, the time between the first and second blast was pegged at between five and nine minutes.
None of the courses of action detailed allowed for the number of activities listed, given the relatively brief period between getting stuck, the truck catching fire and the explosion.
Mare confirmed, as The Citizen reported previously, that the bridge warning sign was illegible, and that the driver first stopped, inspected the vehicle and estimated whether it would pass through under the bridge.
The driver’s assessment was wrong, because of an alleged slight incline in the drop beneath the bridge that caused the vehicle to get stuck.
Herbert said: “It is probable that the driver took precautions and certainly after the truck got stuck, he did a lot to ensure there were safety precautions taken.
“With all the technology available, it would be safe to assume that this route could – and should – have been avoided.
“Certainly, one can reason that, with ageing infrastructure, it is possible that signage was not legible and quite possibly, with re-surfacing of the road, the legal height was no longer in place.”
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