Yesterday (10 September) at around 14:30 a taxi and a truck had a partial head on collision resulting in one death and six injuries.
According to Terence Teixeira from the Matrix Road Safety Association, who arrived on the scene, a taxi travelling on Main Reef Road collided head on with a truck carrying bricks. A motorcycle then collided with the rear end of the taxi. “The cause of the collision is under investigation,” he says.
“Sadly one person was declared dead on the scene. The taxi driver was found in a critical condition having sustained multiple fractures. Five other passengers sustained moderate to light injuries,” reports Teixeira.
Emer-G-Med paramedics treated and transported a passenger with moderate injuries to a nearby hospital. The Boksburg Fire Department managed the scene safety. Provincial Advance Life Support paramedics were also on scene treating the injured and the Ekurhuleni Metro Police investigators arrived to conduct the investigation.
“Drivers should be very aware of loaded trucks, especially when they are behind you. A loaded truck needs additional space to slow and depending on the load, cornering can be a hazardous task if the driver has not adjusted speed according to the conditions and the environment. Additionally, depending on how the container has been loaded, it could raise the centre of gravity of the trailer which could also have negative effects on the cornering ability of the rig. Drivers should also remember that an oncoming vehicle could easily end up on the wrong side of the road posing a potential head-on crash situation,” advises the Matrix Road Safety Association.
For more information on the Matrix Road Safety Association visit www.matrix.co.za.