Durban - One person was reportedly injured in a heavy collision on the N3 in KwaZulu-Natal, in the Town Hill vicinity, on Wednesday afternoon.
A video which has been widely shared over social media platforms captured the incident from the moment the driver appeared to lose control until the moment of impact.
Roland Robertson, the national manager for EMS Midlands, the responding emergency team, said that one person sustained serious injuries to the head and was transported to Hilton Hospital.
Robertson said it was not the driver of the truck that caused the accident.
Pictures taken on scene by an EMS Midlands employee shows the devastation.
The truck, which can be seen smoking its brakes as it rushes down the Town Hill motorway in the video, appeared to be a coal tipper.
KZN - N3 Route (Update): #TruckCrash #TownHill ROAD CLOSED pic.twitter.com/9u2OCw1bto
— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) July 27, 2022
The area has seen traffic congestion for a long time due to the ongoing roadworks on that part of the N3.
The accident took place just after the arrestor bed lane, where trucks are meant to stop and go one at a time to avoid incidents, due to the steep and winding road.
Truck drivers are also meant to engage a lower gear at that specific area to avoid high speeds.
“We took one passenger for treatment. He wasn’t from the truck that crashed.
“One person with severe injuries was taken to Hilton Hospital,” Robertson told IOL.
Another truck accident reported on the N3 in the vicinity of Peter Brown Drive. North- and south-bound lanes are closed. Traffic delays expected.
— Dasen Thathiah (@DasenThathiah) July 27, 2022
📷: Midlands EMS / Mark Winterboer pic.twitter.com/PocxbhPSGR
Police in KZN said they will be investigating a case of reckless and negligent driving.
“We can confirm an accident that took place on 27 July 2022 at 17:00 on the N3 freeway where two trucks collided.
“One driver sustained minor injuries and the other managed to escape unharmed. A case of reckless and negligent driving is being investigated by Town Hill SAPS,” KZN police spokesperson Thenjiswa Ngcobo said.
IOL