A tanker driver was killed after his truck was involved in a horrific collision on Zambia’s T1 Livingstone–Lusaka Highway, with an eyewitness alleging that a South African-registered truck moved onto the wrong side of the road while attempting to overtake, leaving the tanker driver with nowhere to escape.
The tanker driver, identified as Leornard Banda of Hamington Logistics, was critically trapped inside his cab after the collision shortly after Muzoka on Wednesday.
According to an eyewitness who was travelling directly behind the tanker, the South African-registered truck was travelling towards Livingstone when its driver attempted to overtake another truck.
The witness said that as the driver realised he could no longer safely complete the overtaking manoeuvre, he moved onto the right-hand side of the highway.
This allegedly created a deadly situation for Banda, who was travelling in the opposite direction.
According to the eyewitness, the tanker driver was effectively boxed in between the truck being overtaken and the trailer of the South African-registered truck, leaving him with nowhere to go.
The tanker subsequently collided with the trailer of the overtaking truck in the devastating crash.
The impact left Banda critically trapped inside the tanker’s cab.
Emergency personnel were called to the scene, but sadly, there was nothing paramedics could do to save him. He was declared deceased at the scene.
The collision also resulted in the South African truck losing its load of copper plates, which were scattered across the highway following the impact.
Images from the scene show the devastating aftermath, with the wreckage of the heavy vehicles and copper plates spread across the roadway.
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Information received by SA Trucker indicates that the driver of the South African-registered truck fled the scene after the crash.
It is not yet clear whether the driver has subsequently been located.
The circumstances leading to the collision, including the alleged overtaking manoeuvre and what happened immediately afterwards, remain subject to investigation. The account of the events has been provided by an eyewitness who was travelling behind the tanker.
The tragedy once again highlights the extreme risks involved when attempting to overtake another heavy vehicle on a busy highway.
For a truck driver travelling in the opposite direction, a vehicle suddenly moving into their lane can leave virtually no time or space to react — particularly when another truck is occupying the adjacent side of the road.
For Banda, the situation proved fatal.
SA Trucker extends its condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Leornard Banda and everyone at Hamington Logistics.
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