Tow truckers brawl on top of smashed car

This is not the first incident of its kind in recent weeks.

August 5, 2016

Rachelle Breed 2 minutes read

TWO rival tow truckers started a full-on brawl at the scene of a double accident in Richards Bay on Sunday, with an elderly passenger still inside the vehicle.

The truckers who, according to eyewitnesses, shoved each other and exchanged blows until one landed on the bonnet of the smashed car, eventually had to be pulled apart by police.

This is not the first incident of its kind in recent weeks.

‘These guys are acting like hooligans’, says Meerensee CPF secretary Melinda Ashington who responded to the first emergency call.

‘At about 10am, I had an urgent call for assistance from a mother who said her son’s BMW had been stolen and the thief had crashed into the centre island on the way to Meerensee, near the Green Hills turn-off.

‘Patrollers Peter, Henk, John, Tony and I rushed to the scene to assist with the traffic flow and called the SAPS and the traffic department.

‘While waiting for the authorities to turn up, a bakkie stopped in the slow lane, but before we could warn him to move on, an elderly couple rammed into the back of the bakkie.

‘We were then faced with a double accident and a stolen vehicle.’

Circus
But, says Melinda, the real circus started when the tow truckers arrived and started arguing, which soon escalated into a school ground type fight.

‘I’m not sure if it was a shove or a knuckle shot, but one fell on top of the shocked elderly couple’s vehicle.

‘Their daughter, CPF patrollers and bystanders tried to break up the fight, but we eventually had to call the police.

‘The couple ended up driving their car home.

‘I really think this is not the way to do business at an accident scene where everybody is emotional and possibly injured.

‘The way they carried on in public was disgraceful and worse, this was not the first incident.

‘A week or so ago we had the same story with towing services personnel fighting on a scene.

Elize Botha, whose parents were involved in the accident, took to Facebook to thank the Meerensee CPF and patrollers, but lambasted the tow truck services of Richards Bay, calling their conduct ‘absolutely disgusting’.

‘They made a mockery on the scene and had a fight on the accident vehicle while my mom was still inside.’

Her mom was hospitalised with high blood pressure and was x-rayed for injuries.