A side tipper interlink truck crashed into a stationary truck, which was partially blocking the N12 between Modderrivier and Hopetown overnight, leaving the trucking community outraged and demanding answers.
According to reports sent to SA Trucker, the parked truck had been standing dangerously on the road shoulder for an extended period — reportedly up to three days — before the collision happened.
Videos submitted by truckers who passed through the area show the broken-down vehicle clearly obstructing the lane, with just one warning triangle. It was a disaster waiting to happen.
Sadly, that disaster came true.
During the night, another side tipper truck smashed into the back of the stranded rig. The full extent of the damage is still being confirmed, but it’s understood that the driver of the second truck was seriously injured.
Details remain sketchy as to what caused the second driver to fail to avoid the stationary vehicle, but what’s drawing serious concern is the glaring inaction from those responsible for road safety.
“I saw this truck around 17h00 and took this video. When I got there now, I find that another truck has collided into it. This is not fair — someone did not do their job,” said a trucker who passed the scene both before and after the crash.
It’s not yet known what mechanical fault caused the truck to be stranded, but what’s certain is that it was left dangerously unattended in the middle of a national highway.
Read | Three killed as truck rear-ends stationary truck on the N3 in KZN
Truckers are now asking the tough questions.
How does a broken-down truck sit in the middle of the N12 for up to three days without being moved? Where were the traffic cops or road response units? Who’s accountable for preventing exactly this kind of tragedy?
With the N12 being a major freight corridor, this crash has raised serious concerns about the state of emergency response and road safety enforcement in the area.
We’ll update as more details come in. But for now, the question remains: How was this allowed to happen?
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