NELSPRUIT – A large truck had a close encounter with gravity on Monday. The truck was on its way from Nelspruit to Barberton to load cargo when it hit a railing on the Hilltop pass and jackknifed.
The driver, Mr Joseph Chakatsa (32) said on the scene that he was overtaking a small car on one of the bends on the pass when the incident occurred 13km outside of Nelspruit. “Due to the size of the truck, I needed two lanes but the car was in the way.”
He said he struggled to make the turn, going into the lane of oncoming traffic. The side of the truck hit the railing and he braked before the vehicle jackknifed across the road. Nobody was injured. “I don’t think the small car even saw what happened,” Chakatsa said.
Originally from Durban, he had delivered goods in Nelspruit before and the truck from Taylor & Trey was empty at the time of the accident. Van Wettens towing services were on the scene to remove the truck as well as Mbombela traffic officials, who regulated traffic through the one available lane on the sharp bend.
