7 Trucks destroyed by one stretch of road

THERE’S a treacherous stretch of road between Louwsburg and Coronation, approximately 45km from Vryheid that is fast becoming an infamous danger zone for truck drivers.

Since the beginning of 2017, this perilous patch in the roadway has claimed a total of seven trucks, crashed and overturned due to the appalling state of the road. The most recent incidents, happened less than 24 hours apart, according to reports. On Thursday morning, a Volvo truck belonging to Louis Breytenbach was travelling along the Louwsburg road, when disaster struck and the truck overturned. It is believed that the uneven surface of the road caused the truck to “bounce” which led to the driver losing control of the truck and overturning.

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Markings in the road are indicative of a previous truck accident of the same nature in the exact same spot approximately three months prior to this. The vehicle landed with the trailer encroaching onto the other lane and, had the accident happened at night, the consequences could have been utterly disastrous, considering other motorists utilising this stretch of road.

The driver of the truck, who reportedly has 25 years of experience, accident free, was treated for his injuries and received stitches to his head and ears and has been booked off work until October 23, following the crash. The Volvo will in all likelihood be written off.

“What will it take for them to fix these roads?” questioned truck owner, Louis Breytenbach after his truck was damaged and his driver injured. “Are they waiting for someone to die before they do anything about it?”

“Please fix these roads,” he pleads. “We pay for tyres, we pay for licensing, we pay a lot of money. Where is it going to if the roads look like this?”

“Truck drivers have families too,” he added. “We look after your families, so look after ours. These roads are a danger, something must be done before someone loses their life here…”

The following day, reports came through of an almost identical incident in the exact same spot, where another truck, allegedly belonging to Hendrik Joubert, suffered the same fate, overturning due to the damaged road surface and losing a load of timber.

How many more incidents will it take before something is done about the utter state of disrepair along this hazardous stretch of road that could very well cost someone their life?