Just in: Eyewitness speaks out about horror crash
“It sounded like an explosion when that car hit the truck. I saw the drivers’ body was ripped apart.”
On Wednesday, 4 October a man in his 50s lost his life in a horrific accident on Beyers Naudé Drive in Muldersdrift after colliding head-on with a truck.
It’s believed the man was trying to overtake another truck on the stretch of road.
Read the initial article here: Breaking News: Frightful wreckage of car after head-on collision in Muldersdrift
Angelo Pindral, who has been a truck driver for nearly 10 years, was an eyewitness to the accident and the driver of the truck that was being overtaken.
Photo: Submitted.
“I looked in my rear-view mirror and saw this white car trying to overtake me. He was driving very fast,” Pindral told the News. “There was another truck approaching in the oncoming traffic lane, but the car’s driver didn’t even seem to be slowing down. He tried to swing back in front of me, but it was too late.”
He collided with the oncoming truck at a high speed.
“It sounded like an explosion when that car hit the truck. Parts of wreckage flew everywhere and for me to avoid hitting the vehicles I had to brake very hard.”
The driver of the car died on impact.
“When I stopped my truck to see if I could help, I saw that his body had been ripped apart.”
ER24 paramedics arrived moments later and confirmed that the man died on scene.
“We found the man trapped inside the vehicle and had to use the Jaws of Life to extricate him from the wreckage,” said Russel Meiring, spokesperson for ER24.
Pindral said that there was no way the other truck could have braked for the car, because trucks take a longer distance to stop.
The driver of the truck hit his head very hard and was a little confused because of a concussion, but had no serious injuries.
“The emergency services closed the road, the policemen took my statement and took pictures of the scene. We stayed on the scene for nearly three hours. When I came back from collecting my fourth load for the day, the road had been reopened, but the evidence of the crash was still visible, with parts lying everywhere,” Pindral said.
He said he noticed skid marks from the engine of the car on the tar.
“It serves as a grave reminder of how quickly you can lose your life.”
Arrive Alive has provided the following tips for ensuring your safety when overtaking a truck.
Passing safely
• The longer the truck, the more distance you will need to pass it. Don’t attempt to pass unless you are absolutely sure there is enough room.
• Pass from where the driver can see you – not from directly behind the truck.
• Never pass a truck on the left – the blind spot is even larger on that side
• When passing – stay as far to the right as is deemed safe. This reduces the effect of air turbulence on your vehicle and gives you a margin of safety if the truck moves outside of its lane. Don’t linger in the passing.
• It is possible to get rear-ended by a truck or bus if you cut in front too soon after passing. A truck can’t stop quickly!
• Large trucks create a lot of air turbulence around them. Motorists should be prepared for a bit of “rock-and-roll” as a result, and keep a firm grip on the steering wheel.
Avoid blind spots
• 70 per cent of all truck-related car fatalities are initiated by car drivers.
• 35 per cent of them occur in the blind spots around trucks.
• There are four blind spots around tractor-trailer combinations where cars disappear from a truck driver’s view. Trucks have deep blind spots directly behind them and on each side. If you tailgate ,the truck driver can’t see you and your own view of the truck and the road ahead is obstructed.
• Truck drivers can’t see anything closer than 10 metres and sometimes up to 50 metres behind the trailer.
Image: Arrive Alive
Avoid tailgating
• Unlike cars, trucks have a huge danger zone directly behind them. If you are tailgating a truck, the driver can’t see your car and you can’t see what is going on ahead of you.
• Stay well behind any big truck to avoid a rear-end collision.
• Truck wheels may throw up rocks – and certainly do throw up water when it’s raining.
• If a truck in front of you starts to slow down, there may be trouble ahead. Take the hint and slow down too.
Don’t cut in front
• Don’t cut in front of trucks – they need a lot more time and space to stop than cars.
• Loaded trucks can weigh up to 56 tons and take the length of a football field to stop.
• When entering traffic on a highway or when passing, don’t cut in front of trucks or force them to attempt a sudden stop – they could jack-knife.
Photo: Arrive Alive.
For more information about driving safely around a truck, consult the Arrive Alive article at https://www.arrivealive.co.za/A-FleetWatch-Initiative
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at krugersdorpnews@caxton.co.za or phone us on 011 955 1130.
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