Passenger and car crumpled by truck

The bridge crossing the N4 highway was the scene of commotion and panic when a truck collided with a vehicle, trapping one of the passengers inside.

Anke van Vollenstee, her father-in-law and her two children were driving over Mandela Street bridge towards town at about 14:00 on Monday, September 15.

The truck, that apparently lost control when his brakes failed as he was coming off the highway, collided with them. Van Vollenstee was travelling with her father-in-law and had just gone to fetch her two children from day care.
According to witnesses, the driver frantically tried to turn away as the truck apparently lost control and pushed the car over the road. The truck toppled over into a ditch next to the car that ended up in the ditch as well.

As the traffic jam grew more intense due to the off ramp towards Middelburg being blocked, and the heat of the day, emergency personnel struggled to free the victim from the wreckage of the vehicle.
Employees of various companies at Corridor Hill had a clear view of the incident. Two colleagues were standing outside, apparently having a smoke when the collision occurred.

“It is hard to believe that something like that happened right in front of us,” said a shocked witness.
Van Vollenstee and her children stepped away from the crash with minor injuries. Her father-in-law apparently sustained a collapsed lung while trapped in the vehicle, but paramedics managed to stabilise him before freeing him from the wreckage and transporting him to hospital, where he stayed the night for observation.

The Fire Department was called to the scene to remove the trapped victim from the vehicle with the ‘jaws of life’. Eventually personnel from Langamed Emergency Management and Mr Renier van Vollenstee got him out through the sunroof. They were also very disappointed with the response time of the Fire Department.
“It was unbelievable that they showed up at all,” said Ms Linda van Vollenstee, the victim’s wife. The onramp was cleared up at about 16:00 to allow traffic to flow normally.

“They are all at home, now and they are feeling much better,” said Mr Renier van Vollenstee.