Two die in freak John Ross crash – driver arrested on scene
Drunk driver reportedly three times above legal limit
A DRIVER was arrested on scene after a high speed crash on the John Ross Parkway that left two people dead on Friday evening.
He was reportedly behind the wheel with a breath alcohol content three times above the legal limit.
Just after 7pm, his single-cab Hilux bakkie, fully loaded with beachgoers underneath a canopy on the back of the vehicle, skipped a red light at the eSikhaleni intersection.
Witnesses said the bakkie, which was going from Richards Bay towards Empangeni, smashed into a white G4S hatchback, which had turned right and was headed to eSikhaleni.
The same witnesses claimed he was driving at high speed and attempted to pass the queues of cars at the traffic light by continuing straight after swerving into the far right lane.
‘People were flying through the air’
In what can only be described as a freak occurrence, the canopy on the bakkie tore off after the vehicle slammed into the guard rail, taking with it at least seven occupants.
One witness told the Zululand Observer that ‘people were flying through the air’.
All the victims ended up on the grass embankment between the Richards Bay and Empangeni-bound lanes.
Two people, their bodies mangled and twisted, sadly died at the scene.
Five others were seriously injured while at least five more escaped with minor injuries.
The driver of the bakkie only brought the vehicle to a stop one kilometre away from where the canopy broke off.
A City of uMhlathuze traffic officer as well as an SAPS officer who did not wish to be identified confirmed the driver had failed a breathalyser test and was arrested on the spot.
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