A routine Sunday morning run turned into a nightmare on the N3 near Lions River when a truck driver was killed in a devastating collision that has shaken the trucking community.
The fatal crash happened shortly after 6am when the driver of a Johannesburg-bound rigid truck, hauling a six-metre container and towing a dolly trailer with another container, lost control on the wet roadway. The truck veered across the centre median barrier and crashed straight into a tautliner travelling towards Durban, instantly claiming the life of the innocent driver who was simply doing his job.
The impact was violent. The tautliner driver died on the scene, while the rigid driver sustained serious injuries and was rushed to hospital. The rigid truck dropped its container in the roadway before coming to a stop, blocking the entire southbound carriageway and leaving traffic completely stacked for kilometres.
Emergency services and recovery teams are still working to clear the scene. By 11am, one lane had been reopened to ease of the traffic backlog.
Watch: Multiple Truck Crashes Shut Down N3 Durbanbound Near Lions River
A secondary crash occurred shortly afterwards when a container truck slammed into the back of a car carrier after the driver failed to stop in time upon approaching the queuing traffic. Fortunately, no fatalities were confirmed in that second smash.
At this stage, the exact reason why the rigid truck driver lost control is not known, but heavy rain had been pounding the Midlands, leaving the road surface extremely slippery.
What cuts deepest is the harsh reality that the trucker who died did absolutely nothing wrong. He was in his lane, doing his daily job as usual, trying to earn an honest living, and never made it home. A hardworking brother of the road taken in the blink of an eye.
Our thoughts are with his family, colleagues, and every driver feeling this pain today. Rest in peace, king of the highway.
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