A witness has come forward to describe the terrifying sequence of events that led to the fatal crash on the N10 near Cradock, in which four people lost their lives on Saturday morning.
The man, who asked not to be named, said he was driving behind the side tipper truck involved in the accident when the tragedy unfolded.
“There was a milk tanker truck turning left into a farm, and the side tipper saw it too late,” he explained. “To avoid rear-ending the tanker, the driver swerved to the right — but at that exact moment, the victims’ car was approaching from the opposite direction. That’s when the head-on crash happened.”
According to the witness, the car was pushed along for several metres before becoming stuck underneath the heavy truck. “The car was completely squashed. There was no way to open the doors to help the four people inside,” he said.
Moments later, both vehicles caught fire while the victims remained trapped. “It was a horrific scene that still gives me nightmare flashes. When the fire department arrived, there was nothing they could do to save the people in the car,” the shaken witness added.
The victims — Christelle Swanepoel, Janke Pressley, Michelle Collarossi and Jason Burton — all perished in the blaze.
The new account sheds light on the circumstances of the crash as investigations continue. The truck driver faces four counts of culpable homicide.
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