VANDERBIJLPARK. – A man in his 40s survived a suspected motor vehicle suicide on the R57 freeway when he kneeled in front of a moving car on Thursday, May 23.
According to the driver of the vehicle the man who was standing on the side of the road allegedly kneeled in the road as he approached.
Failing to stop swiftly or swerve due to traffic in the next lane he knocked over the survivor.
“I was driving towards Vaal park when I noticed the man standing on the side of the road. As I approached, he kneeled in front of the vehicle moments after I switched from the fast lane. I couldn’t stop the vehicle nor swerve to the side due to other vehicles,” he said.
“After knocking him, I managed to stop and check on the gentlemen before getting assistance from other motorists to call medics.”
A grasscutter working on the busy road said the man had been loitering for a while before his incident.
“I was surprised to see the man as we were working standing on the side of the road. We continued with our job and moments later, we heard a loud bang. All we saw after that was the man lying on the ground,” she said.
Police and emergency services were on the scene following the accident.
At the time of going to print, police had not responded to inquiries.
Meanwhile, according to the World Population Review website, many people committed suicide due to mental disorders, depression rates, and overall life satisfaction.
In 2019, Lesotho had the highest suicide rate at 72.4 per 100k, followed by Guyana, Eswatini, South Korea, and Kiribati.
South Africa was among the top ten countries with the highest suicide rate, sitting at 23.5%.
