Pretoria - The driver of a Hummer vehicle which crashed into three motorcyclists in October 2010, killing two and causing a third to lose a limb, has pleaded not guilty in the Pretoria North District Court.
Indi Himalindi Chiyabu, 31, is charged with murder, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident and failing to report it.
Video footage detailing the moment of impact and subsequent fire was obtained from a security camera in Rachel de Beer Street, in Pretoria North, and was shown to the court on Monday, Beeld reported.
“The Hummer's momentum lifted the motorcycles, with their riders, and propelled them back in the direction they had come from,” Warrant Officer Terry Murphy testified.
Two of the motorcyclists, Pieter Coetzee and JP Kruger, died at the scene, while Coetzee's son Pieter jr. survived, but lost a limb.
“The Hummer did not follow the natural curve of the road, but crossed a solid white line, right in the path of the oncoming motorcyclists,” Murphy testified.
Families of the victims wept in court when they saw the video footage, which included images of the dead bodies, the paper reported.
“I could not determine the exact speed of the Hummer, but the driver was clearly in no state to exercise control over his vehicle,” Murphy said.
The case was postponed until 2013. - Sapa