A truck driver was electrocuted to death on Tuesday afternoon at Nyatsime village on the Chitungwiza-Mahusekwa road after the JCB he was transporting came into contact with overhead powerlines and electrified the whole combination.
A source told SA Trucker that the driver, not yet identified, was driving a white Freightliner Argosy transporting a JCB earthmoving machine when the accident happened around 17h20 on Tuesday.
It’s alleged that when he attempted to switch off the truck, the electric shock threw him out of the truck but somehow his leg got stuck on the metal rim whilst his torso and upper body was on the ground.
This resulted in an electric current surging through his body burning him until his leg broke off.
Read also: Father and son, both truckers, and their family die in Beitbridge horrific crash
The resulting fire spread and destroyed the bush surrounding the place.
The source said it was impossible to identify the driver as his face was badly burned.
It is believed the victim is South African or a Zimbabwean working in SA given that the truck has a South African registration.
Onlookers at the scene were hesitant to check for the driver’s documents as they feared that truck was still electrified.
Meanwhile, in yet another accident involving overheight loads, a Durban trucker broke his trailer when the abnormal load he was transporting hit a bridge on the M7 westbound on the first bridge after the N2 interchange on Tuesday morning.
It’s believed the driver was absent-minded when he hit the bridge above him at speed causing the overheight load to break the trailer.
The accident happened around 07h20 and caused massive delays to traffic as the truck remained stuck there for hours.
Authorities later closed off the M7 at the N2 interchange to allow recovery to take place.
M7 westbound closed after N2 bridge for recovery of truck with overheight load that hit a bridge earlier pic.twitter.com/LeKSy11OEF
— SA Trucker (@rsa_trucker) August 9, 2022
