People in the Overport area in Durban got the shock of their lives this afternoon when a car on the top floor in the parking lot of the Atrium Shopping Centre suddenly ploughed through a wall and overturned, coming to rest four storeys below – on its roof.

The driver of the vehicle, believed to be a male in his 70s, reportedly lost control of his car, which plunged into a wall of the parkade, leading to the horrific car crash. He was alone in the vehicle.

According to ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson, the incident occurred at 12:20, and the driver was assessed inside the vehicle as he was severely entrapped in the wreckage.

“Paramedics assessed the patient and found that, unfortunately, he had sustained fatal injuries, and there was nothing paramedics could do for him,” adds Jamieson.

The Durban Fire Department and Metro Police Search-and-Rescue Unit were on the scene to use the Jaws of Life and other hydraulic equipment to cut the man free from the wreckage.

• This article has been amended since it was first published.