Truck driver involved in chaotic M41 crash fled the scene

eThekwini Metro Police spokesperson Boysie Zungu says the truck driver involved in this morning’s multi-vehicle crash on the M41 in Durban has fled the scene.

It is believed that a truck lost control careening into more than 50 vehicles in bumper-to-bumper, early morning traffic.

Zungu says 16 people were injured, with one airlifted to hospital in critical condition. No fatalities have been reported.

“What we know at this stage is that one truck is responsible for this accident. Actually the driver fled the scene. Sixteen people were injured and one was lifted by air because of serious injuries,” adds Zungu.

Several emergency teams are still at the scene.

A father who was travelling with his daughter and narrowly escaped the crash describes what he saw: “Fortunately, we just heard crash and bangs behind us and luckily we were at the front end of the queue and the truck veered off to the right in that concentration effect. We didn’t see the truck go past, but we were told it was a massive truck that created the initial impact. We just managed to get out of the way in time. We could see in the rearview mirror, cars were piling up against each other.”

In another first-hand account, motorist Ryan Basdew explains what he saw seconds before the truck hit the vehicles: “Next thing we hear a truck approaching and I see people in their cars from the passenger seat try to jump to the driver’s seat cause they were scared. So I turned around and there’s this huge truck that comes speeding down the road and knocks every car in its way. The ones next to us speed up more and doesn’t stop … caused this part of the destruction.”

Motorist Luendran Govender from Phoenix says he is lucky to be alive. He was among those who narrowly missed being injured in this morning’s crash.

“I was stationary on the left lane and as normal I looked in the mirror and I could see cars were flying left and right. I immediately looked to my right and I could see a gap between two vehicles. I pulled in there and the truck, not even a second or two later passed me at about 50 or 60 km an hour and hit a few cars. I was fortunate to get out of the way in time.”

Govender says after narrowly avoiding being hit by the truck, he jumped out of his car to see if he could help others who were trapped in their vehicles.

“I was just fortunate to get out of the way in time and I just pulled off the road and I parked off the vehicle and I ran off to see who I could help,” adds Govender.-Additional reporting by Tracy Valaydam

The video below is reporting more on the story: