Kimberley - Tuesday afternoon’s horrific accident at the Cassandra bridge has claimed another life, bringing the death toll to three.
All three victims were in the bakkie which collided with a truck, and they worked for the same company.
The driver of the bakkie, Danie van Heerden, 48, and a passenger, Frederick “Fini” Modebe, 26, were declared dead on the scene.
Alex Neo Taaibos, 26, later died in hospital as a result of the injuries he sustained during the crash.
A third passenger in the bakkie, Thabo Meleng, 56, is still in hospital in a critical condition.
All four men were employed at Kimberley Clutch and Radiator.
The accident took place in Hull Street, on the Cassandra bridge, at approximately 5.15pm, when a four-ton truck and a Nissan bakkie collided head-on.
The truck driver and his four passengers survived the crash and were transported to hospital for medical treatment.
They were on their way back to Kimberley after doing some work on a substation just outside the city.
According to an eyewitness, Ricky-Bobbi Joseph, who was travelling behind the bakkie at the time of the accident, the truck driver allegedly tried to overtake another truck when it slammed into the bakkie.
“I do not know if the truck driver was blinded by the sun but he suddenly went into the right lane and then crashed into the bakkie. Because of the barrier on the bridge, there was nowhere for the bakkie to go,” Joseph said.
Paramedics, the fire department and several other services arrived at the scene shortly after the accident and found the roadway obstructed with the twisted frames of the two vehicles, with some of the injured still trapped in the wreckage.
“After triaging it was found that two men in the bakkie died before our arrival, one person was in a critical condition, two were seriously injured while another four people sustained moderate injuries,” Netcare 911 spokesman, Chris Botha, said.
“Paramedics stabilised the injured at the scene before transporting them to various hospitals. The critically injured patient died soon after arriving at hospital.”
Kimberley Clutch and Radiator owner, Wendy Voster, yesterday said that the deaths of the three employees were a massive loss to the small company.
“While the reality of the situation has not sunk in yet, this is a massive loss to us. We are a close family at the company and are still struggling to come to grips with this tragedy,” Voster said.
Van Heerden’s daughter, Chantelle Fourie, yesterday said the family was “shattered” after receiving the news that her father had died in the accident and was now “trying to stay strong”.
She said that while she arrived on the scene shortly after the accident, authorities prevented her from seeing her father’s body due to the severity of the injuries.
She added that Van Heerden would be remembered as a caring and loving man.
He leaves behind his wife, three children and two grandchildren.
The families of the other deceased were not available for comment.
Police spokesman, Lieutenant Sergio Kock, yesterday confirmed that police were investigating a case of culpable homicide following the accident and added that the cause of the accident was not yet known.
Kock added that anyone with information regarding the accident can contact Detective Warrant Officer Desmond Markgraaff on 082 302 0407.
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