Johannesburg - Preliminary investigations into yesterday’s multiple-vehicle horror crash in Alberton have indicated that brake failure caused the accident.
Gauteng traffic police spokesman Obed Sibasa said the investigation had ruled out that the truck did not have brake shoes.
The truck was inspected on the scene by Gauteng traffic officers and Fleet Watch, a company that conducts truck-safety investigations, before it was impounded for further investigation.
“If the investigations reveal further details of unroadworthiness, then more charges will be added.
“If charged, then the driver will face culpable homicide or murder charges. If it is true that he was travelling at 120km/h on the freeway, then charges of reckless and negligent driving will be added too.
“According to the law, the vehicle he was travelling in can do 80km/h on the freeway,” said Sibasa.
The truck driver was detained for questioning at Alberton police station.
The truck, which was carrying building material, was travelling from Potchefstroom to Germiston.
The Star understands that the truck company, Benusi Cargo Carriers, is registered in Potchefstroom.
Phone calls to numbers listed on the internet for the company were either not answered or answered by people who claimed not to know the owner, who is known to The Star.
By yesterday afternoon, the horror crash had claimed two more lives, taking the death toll to four.
Sibasa confirmed the two deaths, saying one person had died at Union Hospital, while the other died at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital.
The accident caused heavy delays on the N12 East near the Voortrekker Road off-ramp.
The road had to be closed after the truck ploughed into 48 vehicles.
Unconfirmed reports on Twitter claimed bystanders were seen helping themselves to motorists’ belongings.
Ekurhuleni emergency services spokesman William Ntladi said two people had died around 9am.
Seventeen people sustained injuries ranging from moderate to serious and were transported to various hospitals after receiving medical treatment on the scene, said Netcare 911 spokeswoman Santi Steinmann.
BIG INVESTIGATION PROMISED
Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters visited the scene shortly before noon and called for a thorough investigation.
“Should the truck be found to have been defective at the time of the crash, the owner should be charged alongside the driver. We have discovered in the past that some owners never concern themselves with the roadworthiness or lack thereof of their fleet,” she said.
Earlier, Cristo Oberholzer was still shaking as he recalled how bodies flew into and over his vehicle.
Oberholzer was travelling towards Boksburg on the N12 east when he heard a loud bang.
This bang originated from a truck hitting a bakkie without a canopy, carrying men in the back, slightly behind Oberholzer’s vehicle in the lane to the right of him.
The impact flung the men violently from the bakkie, Oberholzer said.
“One man hit my car and the other two went over the front (of my bonnet).”
Oberholzer said one of these men was flung so far, he went through the rear windscreen of the car in front of him.
“I was totally freaked out,” said a still visibly shaken but uninjured Oberholzer several hours after the crash.
“We’re the lucky ones to walk away from this,” he said, adding he had little hope the men thrown from the bakkie would survive.
ROAD SAFETY SUMMIT CALLED OFF
Just two weeks before a horrific multi-vehicle crash on the N12, an important summit on road safety was cancelled.
The Road Traffic Infringement Agency cancelled the 2014 national road safety summit on behalf of Minister of Transport Dipuo Peters because the resolutions made at the previous summit had not been achieved. The summit was set for September 30 to October 2.
Justice Project South Africa chairman Howard Dembovsky sent out a release at the beginning of Transport Month expressing disappointment that a “talk shop” had taken place with nothing being delivered on.
“NGOs have a role to play in bringing about greater road safety, but they cannot do it on their own and they certainly cannot make any progress without the co-operation and blessing of the government. For the minister to cancel this year’s event in order to avoid embarrassment is not acceptable.”
One of several resolutions taken at last year’s summit were sorting out the Aarto Act and its associated points-demerit system and getting it rolled out nationwide.
Dembovsky said not achieving these goals was unacceptable as about 17 000 people die and more than 100 000 are injured on our roads annually.
The Star
The YouTube video below shows the scene eight hours after the accident occurred, while FleetWatch Editor Patrick O'Leary talks to a driver whose truck was at the tail-end of the mayhem.