Truck Driver Killed in Freak Accident at Durban Container Depot

In a tragic incident at the Kingsrest Container Depot on Harmburg Road in the Bayhead area of Durban, a truck driver lost his life in a freak accident on Monday morning.

The driver was fatally injured after being run over by a truck while attempting to navigate through the tightly packed space.

According to a witness interviewed by SA Trucker, the victim had parked his truck at the outgate along with several other trucks that were in the process of leaving the depot after loading.

Once the processing was complete, the driver of the truck parked on the right-hand side swiftly entered his vehicle and started driving away.

“I heard people screaming for the driver to stop, and when I went to investigate, I saw that a man had been run over by the left front axle wheels of the truck’s trailer,” recounted the witness.

The witness speculated on the circumstances leading to the accident, suggesting that the proximity of the two parked trucks might have played a role.

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“The two trucks were parked very closely to each other. I don’t know how he fit in there unless he squeezed himself attempting to reach the twist locks, so when the other truck moved, he got knocked down,” the witness added.

Tanja Neuss, HR Generalist at Kingsrest Container Park, confirmed the tragic incident, expressing condolences to the victim’s family.

“Unfortunately, there was a fatal incident at our Bayhead Depot this morning. A truck driver lost his life after he was run over by the front wheels of a trailer,” Neuss informed SA Trucker.

She further stated that the circumstances surrounding the unfortunate event were under investigation by the South African Police Service (SAPS), and the company was fully cooperating with the authorities in their inquiry.