Another life lost on notorious R34 road

The R34 Melmoth road is notorious for head-on collisions in which people pay the ultimate price with their lives. A bakkie and a small truck collided on Thursday afternoon near Inkamana Abbey. A tipper truck was also involved in the crash. One person died on impact, while one of the drivers was in critical condition and the ‘jaws of life’ had to be used to extricate him from the vehicle. He was transferred to Madadeni, and is doing well now while being treated for his leg. The cause of the accident is under investigation. At this stage, it is believed that one of the vehicles was overtaking the tipper truck and hit the other vehicle head-on. Last year, a horror crash on the R34 in the Nseka area tragically claimed five lives. That accident saw a bakkie and a car colliding head-on near Klipfontein Dam. The bakkie was a state vehicle belonging to the Department of Health. The driver was the only occupant and was travelling from Ulundi. It is alleged that the car, with five occupants, was in the process of overtaking another vehicle when it collided with the oncoming Department of Health bakkie. The five people in the car were trapped in the wreckage and sadly died at the scene. In another incident in January 2021, a truck and a car collided. The car overturned and rolled, while the truck caught fire after the impact. Three occupants were in the vehicles, and one of them died before emergency services arrived.

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