Motorists in Wilgeheuwel experience unfortunate slip ‘n slide
Claassens described how she jumped out of the car and began warning oncoming traffic to stop before they reached the spill.
On Friday, October 14, motorists on Florin Road encountered a slick situation when they faced an unidentified substance on the road.
Paschal Claassens, a local, claims she was driving behind a local shopping centre with a passenger when she lost control of her vehicle.
“My car veered off to the left side of the road, narrowly missing a stationary vehicle next to the road. My car didn’t stop there; I almost hit a wall!” Claassens went on to say that the wall already had a large hole in it from a previous incident. “Luckily I missed the wall but slid back onto the road in the oily substance and came to a stop right in the middle of oncoming traffic,” added Claassens.
Claassens described how she jumped out of the car and began warning oncoming traffic to stop before they reached the spill. Meanwhile, her passenger contacted the JRA, the City of Johannesburg, and the owners of the shopping centre in the hopes of getting someone out there to help them.
Community Group Firefighter Association (CGFA) received a request for assistance for what was initially deemed an oil spill.
“We had been informed that this spill had subsequently resulted in the loss of control of two vehicles. The affected vehicles had been moved to the side of the road to prevent any obstructions to the flow of traffic,” explained CGFA Spokesperson Anton Gerber.
“The spilled material, however, was evident and could be seen on the road as a result of it being driven through. There were two vehicles who were involved, fortunately without injury. Family members and other support services were there to assist the affected individuals. It had however been brought to our attention that prior to this incident, another vehicle had lost control and had driven into the boundary wall of a complex, before driving away from the scene. This had resulted in the partial collapse of the aforementioned wall.”
Gerber explained that the source of the spill was established as being several meters away from the shopping centre’s waste area. Further investigation revealed that the product that had run down the road was wastewater. This is common when waste bins are washed out after being collected in order to keep the bins relatively clean for future use.
“Due to the amount of water used, to clean the bin, we can assume that the runoff was contaminated, creating a slippery surface on the road. The road was partially closed off to traffic, to allow for the Spill AB Zorbb It, to be applied to the affected areas. Due to the size of the spill, we elected to close off the entire road for 15 minutes to allow for our volunteers to spread the absorbent. The road was opened shortly thereafter for further use by the community,” added Gerber.
Spills of this type are uncommon because waste and the cleaning of waste bins should be confined to the waste area, with a suitable effluent and liquid run-off catchment sump (which should be cleared on a regular basis), particularly in commercial areas.
Gerber stated that the CGFA advocates for the protection of all life, which includes the environment, and that this effluent could have ended up down stormwater drains, posing long-term and devastating effects on our water systems if services and community members had not been aware of it.
The Northsider spoke to Interwaste’s Kate Stubbs about the cause of the spill, as the company’s vehicle was seen at the scene before the waste spilled into the road. “Interwaste takes the health and safety of the communities in which we operate extremely seriously and ensures that all waste practices follow national legislative requirements.
“With regards to this incident, Interwaste is responsible for the collection and disposal of the waste at this centre. As such, we are currently investigating the matter and working with all relevant parties across the supply chain, to understand the source of the effluent to aid in mitigating this in future,” explained Stubbs.
“We cannot speak to whether the centre will conduct their own investigation into the cause of the incident. From a traffic perspective, investigations may be conducted to find solutions to prevent further incidents of this nature from occurring. We urge the public to always be aware of their surroundings. If the road looks wet, but it hasn’t rained, slow down and approach with caution.
“As we wait for the first rains of the season, we wish to remind the community to be cautious on the roads. The many months of dry weather coupled with historic spills and accidents, can result in the roads become slippery. If you see a spill, please report this to City Of Joburg’s Emergency Medical Services on 10177,” concluded Gerber.
