A 50 ton crane truck was travelling down Solomon Mahlangu Drive in Pretoria this morning when the driver appears to have not been able to come to a complete stop for the vehicles in front of him while he was heading towards Garsfontein road.
The driver tried his best to swerve out of the way to avoid colliding into any other vehicles, but he crashed into six of them before leaving the road, crashing into an open field at the side of the road, through two walls, ripping two huge willow trees out of the ground and then crashing into the Moraetta Spruit.
Paramedics and rescuers arrived at the scene and found the 46 year old truck driver trapped in the wreckage. While paramedics treated him for multiple injuries that he had sustained in the crash, the Jaws of Life were used to remove him from the wrecked cabin of the truck. After almost 90 minutes he was freed and was on his way en route to Mediclinic Muelmed by ambulance.
Luckily, the truck had only slightly damaged the six vehicles that it had collided into and no one else was injured as a result of the crash.
Local authorities will determine all necessary details surrounding the reason as to why the truck driver seemed not to be able to stop the truck. Solomon Mahlangu drive will remain partially closed to traffic between Garsfontein and Jaqueline for recovery of the wreckages.
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Vanessa Jackson
ER24