A Durban tow truck driver has been killed after his vehicle was hit by a speeding car and burst into flames, in the early hours of Saturday morning.
It is believed that he had been assisting a truck driver whose truck had broken down on the R102, in the vicinity of the Palmview and Phoenix offramp, and was seated in the truck when a VW Golf crashed into his tow truck.
Gareth Naidoo of KZN VIP Protection Services said the impact caused the tow truck to ram into the truck and burst into flames.
"It was just after midnight that KZN VIP Medics together with other emergency services responded to a call of an accident on the R102. Upon arrival of KZN VIP Medics, we saw that a tow truck was engulfed in flames with the driver entrapped in the wreckage," Naidoo said.
He added that despite their best attempts to put out the fire and extricate the driver, they could not get him out.
Meanwhile, the truck driver was stabilised at the scene and rushed to a local hospital for urgent care.
The driver of the VW Golf was believed to have been under the influence of alcohol and was taken away by police.
"If anyone knew the tow truck driver, he changed his whole life around always shared a helping hand when needed. It is a great loss to the towing community and we extend our deepest condolences to his family," Naidoo said.
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