Durban - A KwaMakhutha man is counting his lucky stars – or in this case a lucky burnt light bulb – after a “flying” bakkie plunged into his bedroom from the roof of the house.
The man, who did not want to be identified or interviewed, was spared his life after switching rooms on Wednesday evening because of the burnt out light bulb.
He was asleep when the vehicle brought part of the roof crashing down.
ER24 spokesman Pieter Rossouw said paramedics were surprised that there were no injuries in the bizarre smash, in which a bakkie left the road and landed on the roof of the house.
Witnesses, he said, described to paramedics how the Isuzu bakkie “flew off the road and crashed into a house”.
Police spokesman Jay Naicker confirmed the incident and said the driver fled after the accident.
This was in contrast to the comments of Rossouw, who said: “The driver of the vehicle explained that he drove over a ‘ramp’ of some sort, which led him to collide with the house.”
Witnesses at the scene alleged that the driver was a minor, but this could not be confirmed.
Rossouw said one person, who was sleeping in the house, was woken up by the accident.
The survivor appeared shaken and shook his head in disbelief. He referred all queries to his landlord, identified only as “Gogo Malinga”. Malinga also refused to comment, citing “an investigation”.
SPEEDING
Witnesses recounted how the bakkie sped on a long stretch of road and veered off it after the driver failed to negotiate a bend.
It then hit a water meter, a ditch and a wire fence before crashing through an asbestos roof.
“I just think his ancestors were with him. There is no other way of explaining this. He must go down on his knees and be grateful to God. I’m still shocked,” said one. She added that she was lucky the vehicle did not hit her home.
Curious people flocked to the scene and watched as a heavy duty truck salvaged the wreckage. The walls of the affected room had to be knocked down to retrieve the bakkie.
Somebody described events as “a scene from a thriller movie”.
“I was asleep. I could hear the sound of a speeding car draw closer. I actually thought it was going to land in my house, but suddenly I heard a huge crushing sound. It’s a miracle no one was injured,” she said.
Naicker said: “According to KwaMakhutha police, the owner of the vehicle and the owner of the house agreed to settle the matter without police intervention. The driver of the vehicle fled.”
The Mercury