Top SA jockey escapes horror crash on highway

Craig Zackey (21), currently 11th on the National jockeys ‘log, was the driver who escaped a horror crash on the R21 on Friday night.

His brand new BMW228 clipped a truck while he was travelling on the R21 after arriving from Port Elizabeth after a race meeting. He was on his way to his Brakpan home.

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“Lord, I love you. How I am still alive only You know. Just been in a car accident, truck turned into my lane, tried missing it but caught him and yeah, rolled. Lord, thank you so much for giving me another chance in life,” Zackey wrote on his Facebook page only hours after the accident.

He only sustained a few scratches on his nose and bruises from the seat belt. It is believed his car rolled for about half a kilometer.

Once the car came to a standstill, he undid his seat belt and climbed out.

Earlier that day he rode three winners in Port Elizabeth. A post on his Facebook page only hours before the accident, read: “Lord, thank you so much for blessing me with a treble today in PE, truly grateful. Well done to the Spies team.”

He later thanked a taxi guy, Jimmy, on Facebook for returning his iphone, which he lost at the accident scene.

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Jimmy was on his way to Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre and got a puncture at the accident scene, most probably as a result of the accident debris.

“While he was fixing his puncture he had found my iphone on the side of the highway and had the good heart to make calls and return it to me. You one in a million, Jimmy, God bless you,” Zackey said.

Zackey, who was the Equus Champion apprentice last season, turned 21 on April 7 and took delivery of the car almost twee weeks ago.