Man buried in sand as tip-truck overturns

In a fatal accident in Emona, KwaZulu-Natal, an allegedly drunk tip-truck driver tipped over his truck causing serious injuries to one person and death to another.

The 52-year-old was transporting sand from Emona to Tongaat when the accident happened. The driver overturned onto informal settlements.

Response to the incident

The Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) responded to the scene and arrested the driver. Empty bottles of alcohol were found in the truck.

One of the residents whose home the truck smashed into suffered injuries. He was stabilised on scene by the paramedics and rushed to a local hospital.

The other victim, unfortunately, did not survive because the truck landed on top of him.

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“When we got to the scene he was already deceased, he showed no signs of life,” said the spokesperson of RUSA Prem Balram.

The community along with Paramedics from IPSS Medical Rescue and reaction officers helped remove the body from under the truck and sand, however the deceased’s head remained stuck.

“The truck had came to rest on top of his body and his head was stuck under the sand. The body of the deceased was eventually freed several hours later by rescue workers and paramedics. He was declared dead on the scene,” said Balram.

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Fortunately, no other person was harmed. The passenger who was in the truck with the driver told the officials he was only offered a lift to Tongaat.

The incident attracted a large crowd, the community of Emona was enraged and wanted to harm the driver.

RUSA handed over the alleged intoxicated man to the police.

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Consequences of drunk driving

Unfortunately, incidents involving drunk drivers causing harm or fatalities are not uncommon. There have been numerous cases nationwide where individuals have lost their lives due to the recklessness of drunk drivers.

According to The Citizen, the Johannesburg Metro Police Department apprehended more than 1000 drunk drivers from 27 November 2023 to 7 January 2024.

“Gauteng recorded 187 fatalities, an increase of 23.8% in deaths in the first three weeks of December 2023.”

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