Pinetown - The naked man driving a Mercedes C Class who ploughed into a mechanical workshop on Monday nearly killed a mechanic and caused an estimated R250 000 in damage.
Kaashif Mallick, the company accountant at Transaxle Gearbox and Diff Specialists in Otto Volek Road said: “It sounded like an explosion.
“The man came racing up our driveway, ploughed through the garage, knocking into a hoist and then into a customer’s car.”
A bakkie that was suspended on a high-lift jack fell on to the bonnet of the Mercedes, eventually stopping it in its tracks.
“The driver then jumped out of his car, shouted ‘Try and catch me’, and ran down the driveway - butt naked. He wasn’t even wearing shoes,” said Mallick.
The man also shouted: “You don’t know what I am going through!”
When police arrived they put the man in the back of their van, where he fell asleep.
According to witnesses, when the man awoke in the van, he appeared disorientated and asked what day of the week it was. A mechanic who was underneath a car that was hit, was shocked but not hurt.
COPS WERE FOLLOWING HIM
Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said: “Paramedics were surprised to find that nobody had sustained any injuries.”
The vehicle was searched by the police afterwards, who found no clothes, shoes, drugs or firearms inside.
“He didn’t look drunk, he looked entirely normal,” said Mallick. Nobody at the workshop had seen him before and he was not a customer.
The police were quick on the scene, arriving before paramedics, and there were suggestions the man was being chased.
It later emerged that the driver had skipped a red traffic light earlier and the police were following him.
Transaxle was trying to work out on Monday if the man had insurance, but said it would definitely be pressing charges.
Police spokesman Thulani Zwane said Pinetown police were was investigating a case of reckless or negligent driving.
A 26-year-old man had been arrested and would appear in Pinetown Magistrate’s Court once he had been charged.
The Mercury