NELSPRUIT – Monday-morning traffic on the R40 at Riverside was interrupted when yet another pedestrian was run over by a motor vehicle. A man sustained serious head injuries when he was hit by a small sedan just after 07:00 in the western lane of the motorway.
According to the driver of the car, the pedestrian came running from The Grove’s side across the road (west to east) and probably did not see the oncoming car in the turning lane.
“This is a big problem,” said a woman, who saw the whole incident from her workplace across the road. “And while this man was lying there after being hit, even more pedestrians were running across the road.”
According to statistics by the Department of Community Safety, Security and Liaison, 197 pedestrians had been killed on Mpumalanga’s roads between January and October last year. The number of pedestrian accidents during this time was 990.
The last death on the R40 occurred on October 3 last year. This the second highest cause of death in the province, after road accidents.
Mbombela Local Municipality confirmed that council would be erecting barriers along the middle section of the R40 through Riverside by March.
The aim would be to force pedestrians to make use of the proper crossings at the traffic lights.
The injured man was taken to Rob Ferreira Hospital.
