A horrifying and freak chain of events claimed the life of a truck driver on Thursday night after his truck broke down in the middle of the R21 in the Pomona area.
According to information available at this stage, the driver’s truck, which was transporting scrap metal, allegedly suffered a mechanical failure and came to a standstill in the live lanes of the highway.
With traffic still moving along the route, the driver is believed to have exited the cab to assess the problem or attempt to make the vehicle visible to approaching motorists.
Moments later, disaster struck.
Another heavy-duty truck, towing a tautliner, reportedly approached from behind and collided violently into the rear of the stationary truck. The force of the impact caused a catastrophic chain reaction.
In the chaos, the deceased driver was allegedly run over by his own truck after it was struck, resulting in fatal injuries.
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Emergency responders were dispatched to the scene, but found the driver had already succumbed to his injuries. He was declared dead on site.
The driver of the tautliner truck survived the crash and reportedly sustained only minor injuries. He was treated at the scene before being taken for further medical evaluation.
Investigations are underway to determine the exact sequence of events that led to the fatal collision.
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