The driver of a truck involved this week in a horror crash on the N2 that claimed the lives of three people, including two children, was on Friday granted R1 000 bail by the Durban Magistrate’s Court.
In a brief court appearance January Mabiyisi, 37, of Monyakeng Location in the Free state, nervously stood in the dock with his hands clasped behind him. Mabiyisi listened attentively when the three charges of culpable homicide were read out in court.
The accident on Tuesday night claimed the lives of 11-year-old friends Ethan Prinsloo and Kelvin Killian, and his 43-year-old father Ockert Killian – all from Ballito.
The three, who were returning from a family holiday to the Drakensberg, were killed instantly after an 18-wheeler truck ploughed into their Ford Fiesta on the freeway’s northbound carriageway, near the Umgeni Road off-ramp.
The truck hit 16 other cars before dragging Ockert’s car and one other car over an embankment. Six other people were injured in the multiple vehicle crash and police said the juggernaut damaged other cars before it came to a stop.
Mabiyisi was not injured in the crash that caused gridlock traffic conditions on many other roads during rush-hour.
Although no evidence was led in court, it is believed that the truck developed a mechanical problem while coming down the N2, causing Mabiyisi to lose control and collide with the vehicles.
After granting bail, magistrate Anita Govender postponed the case to September 28.
Independent on Saturday