Bus loses control on Beyers Naudé

A bus driver lost control just before the Molope Road intersection on Beyers Naudé Drive in peak-hour traffic on 23 January, causing a severe collision between the bus, two trucks and at least four cars.

The bus driver, as well as a truck driver and the driver of an SUV, were all taken to hospital by emergency services with minor injuries.

Witnesses described how they saw the bus speeding toward the intersection where stationary motorists were waiting for the traffic light to turn green. “I saw it coming in my rear view mirror. It was travelling at a tremendous speed,” said Mike Van Dyk, who observed the entire accident. “I am lucky it didn’t hit my car. I saw the bus fly by my window, missing me by less than a metre.”

The bus first collided with a delivery truck and then a flat-bed tow truck. The delivery vehicle proceeded to rear-end Jenny Farquhar’s Chevrolet Captiva, pushing it to the other side of the intersection. Farquhar had to be taken to hospital by emergency services after sustaining minor back injuries. “I saw the bus coming [in the rear view mirror],” said Farquhar. “It wasn’t slowing down for the red traffic light.”

After being hit by the bus, the flat-bed tow truck had no alternative but to ram into Yeshveer Thulsie’s Hundai i20. “It happened so fast,” said a shaken Thulsie.

The driver of the bus was also rushed to hospital, and was discharged the following morning. The bus, which belongs to Concor Engineering, a Murray & Roberts company, was transporting workers back to their depot from a construction site in the area.

“We have not been able to establish why the driver lost control,” stated Siva Puckree, site agent for Concor Engineering. “But we will continue to investigate.”