A tragic crash that claimed one life was caught on CCTV along the R369 near Orania on Sunday afternoon.
The footage, timestamped 13h06, paints a chilling picture of how quickly things can go wrong on South Africa’s pothole-riddled roads.
In the video, a side tipper truck is seen moving at a cautious pace when another truck approaches from the opposite direction.
Moments after they pass each other, disaster strikes – a second truck, travelling in the same direction as the side tipper, comes barreling into the frame and crashes violently into its rear.
On closer inspection, it appears the side tipper truck had slowed down to safely navigate a massive pothole on the road.
Unfortunately, the driver of the following truck seemed unaware of the sudden speed change and failed to react in time, resulting in a deadly impact.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, but sadly, it was too late. The driver of the second truck was declared dead on site.
Read also: Two Trucks from Same Company Collide Killing Both Drivers in R34 Crash
Truckers say the stretch of road has been a known danger zone for years, with that very pothole having caused several near misses before.
This latest crash has once again sparked outrage over the poor state of infrastructure in the area.
“This death was avoidable if the road was properly maintained,” said one trucker who frequently uses the road. “It’s very dangerous because it’s on a small bridge.”
The incident is under investigation, but early indications point to a combination of poor road conditions and a lapse in following distance awareness as the cause.
Watch the video below:
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