Cause of Benoni crash remains unknown

Five women were struck by a white Camry while walking on a footpath along the paved shoulder of the road, and four of them were catapulted into the air by the impact and died on the scene, Boksburg Advertiser reported.

The driver sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital. It is believed the driver was travelling on the west-bound carriageway before he suddenly swerved to the right, to avoid hitting a group of people who were crossing the road.

Residents were awakened by the sound of the crash and ran out of their homes to find four bodies and debris strewn across the scene. Photo: Boksburg Advertiser

He apparently lost control of his car and then hit the group of women, who landed at least 30m from where they were struck. The car careened forward and crashed through a concrete wall, before it came to a halt.

Personal belongings the women had been carrying were scattered around. It is still unclear if speed was a factor in the accident.

The brother-in-law of one of the victims, Ben Lamula, said they were shocked and devastated as a family.

According to Lamula, his sister-in law worked for Transnet, and she was on her way to work in Pretoria.

The remains of the car, which struck and killed four women before it smashed through this wall. Photo: Boksburg Advertiser.

The crash also caused the busy morning commute to come to a halt on Main Reef Road between Boksburg North and Witfield as emergency services crews and the police responded to the deadly crash.

The area has previously recorded a number of traffic fatalities involving pedestrians and cyclists.

Ward councillor Hillary Coke said they had recently seen a number of pedestrian accidents in the area.

“Despite numerous requests to the metro to implement traffic-calming measures, nothing has been done along this stretch of road to improve the quality for the pedestrians,” she said.

“Despite the high number of people, including children, who cross the road on a daily basis to school, work or shops, the stretch of road doesn’t have traffic signs, road markings or speed humps to force drivers to slow down.

“We cannot bring back the lives of the people who have been killed so far, but by installing the necessary precautionary measures we can stop someone else’s child or parent being killed.”

– Caxton News Service