A truck driver who witnessed the fatal R21 crash in Pomona has shared a raw and heartbreaking account of the moments that unfolded on Thursday night, an experience he fears will stay with him for the rest of his life.
The witness, Brian, who has chosen to be identified by his first name only, says the tragedy happened in seconds, yet its impact will last forever.
“What happened on the R21 is very sad,” Brian told SA Trucker. “The truck was not very visible. I saw it late but managed to swerve out of danger. Sadly, the driver behind me did not have enough time to react.”
As he continued driving, Brian watched helplessly in his mirrors as the truck behind him slammed into the stationary truck that was stuck in the middle of the road.
“I watched the rear-end crash happen right there in my mirror,” he said. “I immediately pulled over and ran back to assist.”
When Brian reached the wreckage, the rear-ending truck was still idling. The driver had already climbed out of the cab, badly shaken but alive.
“My first thought was for him,” Brian said quietly. “I honestly believed he was the one who needed help. I tried to help the wrong driver.”
Brian and others desperately searched for the isolator to shut down the engine, but they could not locate it. Moments later, a convoy of Zambian trucks arrived and stopped without hesitation. Together, the drivers managed to switch off the engine and secure the scene.
Then came the devastating realisation.
“Just as we managed to stop the engine, someone ran up and told us the driver of the stationary truck was lying under the front right wheel of his own truck,” Brian said. “That moment broke me.”
He says it never crossed his mind that the driver who had broken down would be the one to lose his life.
“When I ran there, I feared for the driver who crashed into the back,” he explained. “I never thought the other driver would lose his life just like that.”
When they went to check, the sight was chilling.
“It looked like the wheel had stopped right by him, barely touching him, not fully over him,” Brian said. “But he was already gone.”
Another driver who passed the stationary truck shortly before the crash reached out to SA Trucker. He said the deceased had told him the truck had overheated and he was waiting for it to cool down before moving again.
“He stepped out thinking it was a small problem,” Brian said. “Only to meet such a tragic end.”
For those who witnessed the crash, the trauma runs deep. One driver lost his life doing his job, another survived a collision, and others must now live with the memory of a night where every instinct to help was right, yet fate chose the cruellest outcome.
On the R21 that night, help came fast, truckers stood together, but tragedy still won.
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