Calls for increased surveillance on bridges in Bedfordview, Ekurhuleni, have grown after a woman was killed when a large rock thrown from a bridge smashed through her windscreen on the R24 on Friday morning.
The incident happened on the eastbound R24, just before the Gillooly’s Interchange, when the rock was allegedly thrown from the Concord Road Bridge.
Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) spokesperson Chief Superintendent Kelebogile Thepa said the rock shattered the woman’s windscreen and struck her, causing serious head injuries.
She lost control of the vehicle and crashed into the roadside barriers. She was certified dead at the scene.
The fatal incident has raised fresh concerns about the safety of motorists travelling beneath bridges in the area.
Bedfordview ward councillor Jill Humphreys said the community was deeply disturbed by the incident, while residents were sharing information as authorities examined available CCTV footage for possible evidence.
“We need to have security on all the bridges,” Humphreys said.
Bedfordview Community Policing Forum (CPF) chairperson Colin McKenzie said the community was aware of at least two previous incidents in which stones had been thrown onto the freeway.
Those incidents resulted in vehicle damage and at least one injury.
McKenzie said the CPF was now looking at ways of increasing surveillance on bridges, including installing cameras connected to a 24-hour control centre.
“The immediate thing is to put cameras up, raise money to put up cameras and then monitor them,” he said.
The CPF is also appealing for anyone with relevant camera footage or information about Friday morning’s incident to come forward and assist police.
McKenzie described the latest incident as tragic and disturbing, saying motorists should be able to use the freeway without fearing that objects could be thrown at their vehicles from bridges.
An inquest docket has been opened at the Bedfordview police station as investigations continue.
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