Cape Town - A man died and 31 people were injured, one seriously, when a Golden Arrow bus overturned as the driver tried to avoid a collision in the road ahead of him.
The bus was travelling on Govan Mbeki Road, Philippi, at 5.45pm on Tuesday when a taxi and a bakkie collided at the intersection with Heinz Road. The bus swerved to avoid the accident and rolled on to its side, said Golden Arrow spokeswoman Bronwen Dyke.
Paramedics found two people trapped in the wreck of the bus, one of whom was the dead man and the other the seriously injured passenger. They were extricated by Metro and Fire and Rescue Services.
Most of the other passengers had minor to moderate injuries.
“The bus was approaching the intersection when a taxi allegedly ran through the red light from the side and collided with a bakkie in front of the bus,” Dyke said this morning.
“It appears our driver swerved to avoid the collision, but it was too late and the bus rolled over on its side…”
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The driver has been suspended – not because the company assumes his guilt, but because under such circumstances drivers often suffer from severe shock and are temporarily not in a position to continue driving…”
A culpable homicide case had been opened for investigation, said Western Cape police liaison officer Captain FC van Wyk.
Cape Argus