Early morning crash kills three on N4 toll road near Emalahleni
The investigation into the crash is underway
Early this morning before 01:00 three people died on N4 toll road between Middelburg and eMalahleni.
This happened when three vehicles collided.
One of the vehicles, Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), apparently veered off the road after the driver lost control.
It then collided head on with a bakkie.
The SUV then sideswiped with an articulated truck.
The deceased include a passenger and driver in the SUV.
The passenger in the bakkie was also killed.
There were seven people in the bakkie including the driver.
Five people including the driver sustained seriously injuries and one passenger was not injured.
The articulated truck driver was not injured.
The injured people were all admitted at Witbank Hospital for treatment.
The investigation into the crash is underway.
Meanwhile Provincial Traffic law enforcement officers have yesterday arrested a truck driver for overloading.
The truck, which was at one of the weighbridges in Middelburg, was carrying a crane and it was grossly overloaded.
The driver could not provide an abnormal permit at the time when the truck was weighed.
The driver was arrested and is out on a R2 500 bail.
He is expected to appear in court soon.
Mpumalanga Community Safety, Security and Liaison MEC, Ms. Gabisile Shabalala, has warned motorists to use the road cautiously to avoid road crashes especially on weekends.
She bemoaned that most deadly crashes were seeminly on the rise especially on weekends.
She has therefore encouraged law enforcement officers not to show leniency towards reckless and negligent driver behaviour.
She said adequate punishing of those who break the law will serve as a deterrent and subsequently more lives will be saved on the road.
Shabalala wished those who were injured a speedy recovery.
She has welcomed the arrest of the truck driver who was overloaded saying that disobeying the road rules contributes to most crashes.
She has also appealed to truck owners to ensure that their drivers comply with the law and not overload among others.
“Overloaded trucks and vehicles do not only pose danger to road safety but it also affects road infrastructure badly,” she said.
She said while profitability was crucial for sustainability of trucking business, owners and drivers must also prioritize road safety at all times.
