Durban - A truck driver was killed and his passenger was injured when a truck hit an overhead road sign and caught alight on the N3 Durban-bound before the Richmond Road off-ramp in Pinetown, Durban on Friday, paramedics said.
Rescue Care paramedics arrived on the horrific scene to find that a truck had hit a road sign before bursting into flame, Rescue Care spokesman Garrith Jamieson said.
Although paramedics were told the driver was trapped, they were unable to free him due to the fire and the weight of the bales the truck was carrying. The fire department arrived quickly and battled the blaze.
Once the fire was under control, the Durban Fire Department, together with South African Police Service (SAPS) search and rescue officers, managed to free the man, believed to be the driver.
"Unfortunately he had sustained major injuries and there was nothing more paramedics could do for him and he was declared deceased on the scene. The passenger was stabilised on the scene before being transported to a nearby hospital for the further care that he required. The N3 was closed due to the fire as well as the unstable road sign," Jamieson said.