Durban - A chunk of concrete flung from the Higginson Highway bridge over the N2 narrowly missed the driver as it smashed through her car’s windscreen.
Juanita Swindon of eManzimtoti is still recovering from the shock of her narrow escape from serious injury on Monday evening.
The travel insurance consultant had been travelling home alone in her Peugeot 207 when the missile crashed through the passenger side of the windscreen, leaving a gaping hole. It landed on the seat next to her.
Swindon said on Wednesday she had left a friend’s house in Malvern before 6pm and was driving in the middle lane of the N2, at about 110km/h.
She said it had been too dark to see anyone on the bridge and all she was concerned about was her safety and steering the car properly.
“I heard a loud bang and the next thing a piece of concrete bounced off the passenger seat,” she told the Daily News.
“I slowed down to grasp the situation. There was a big hole in the windscreen and I then realised someone had thrown a piece of concrete off the bridge.”
She said the item, 25cm by 15cm and 8cm thick, also damaged her dashboard and seat.
Swindon said she had panicked and phoned her fiancé, Chris Botes, a locksmith, for help.
“He kept me calm and advised me not to stop. I am not sure how I drove myself to eManzimtoti police station. I remember crying all the way with the thought of how lucky I had just been.
“Glass pieces were everywhere including my face and hair,” said the mother-of-two.
“I still have thoughts of it while I am driving and I am extremely cautious near bridges.”
eManzimtoti SAPS had recorded the incident, police said.
In March, the Daily News reported a similar incident near the same bridge.
Rothman Thusi, 24, was travelling on the N2 from Isipingo towards Avoca, when a rock struck his car – a VW Polo – hitting the bumper and headlight.
The same rock then struck the bonnet, windscreen and roof of Elizabeth Archibald’s car.
She and her husband, George, were left traumatised.
Daily News