.
A cement truck driver was arrested on Monday after he allegedly fled the scene of an accident in which two people were killed.
The 53-year-old driver will appear in the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday on two charges of culpable homicide, escaping custody and drunken driving.
He was the driver of a cement truck that collided head-on with a VW Golf on New Greytown Road on Saturday night.
It is believed that he lost control of the truck, crossed the centre median and crashed into the Golf, carrying a family of five. The truck then overturned, landing on top of the car, crushing it.
Dhanalutchmee Govender, 46, who was sitting in the back seat of the car with her husband, was killed instantly.
Her husband, Peter Govender, 55, was treated on the scene by paramedics and then rushed to hospital in a critical condition.
He died at the hospital some hours later.
The couple’s two adult children, Trevor and Trisha, escaped the accident with minor injuries.
Trevor’s friend, identified only as Cameron, who was also in the car, survived the accident largely unscathed.
Rescuers had to use the Jaws of Life to get the five out of the car.
They had been returning home after visiting relatives in the city.
The family, from Indus Road in Copesville, are struggling to come to terms with the tragedy.
A friend of the family said the children were still in shock.
According to a police spokesman, when paramedics arrived on the scene, they found the truck driver, who was treated for minor injuries.
He was put into a waiting ambulance to be taken to hospital. However while paramedics were attending to the other victims, the truck driver fled from the ambulance.
He was arrested yesterday morning at the premises of a towing company in the CBD.
Business Directory
We like to make your life easier
Mobile
Browse IOL on your phone at m.iol.co.za.
Newsletters
Subscribe to our newsletters. News delivered to your inbox!
