In another deadly weekend on Gauteng’s roads, at least five people were killed in three serious accidents, and two cars caught fire on the busy N1 highway, causing huge traffic jams.
A Volkswagen Golf exploded on the N1 while travelling from Roodepoort to Pretoria on Saturday night, ER24 said. Spokesperson Werner Vermaak said the driver of the red Golf noticed flames coming out of his bonnet while travelling on the freeway between the William Nicol and Hans Strydom offramps in Sandton.
”He stopped the car immediately and jumped out. The moment he ran away from the car, it exploded … and he watched as his car was engulfed in flames.”
He said the motorist was not injured, and it was not clear what had caused the explosion.
Following the explosion, the road had to be closed to traffic and by 8pm traffic had piled up right through to the 14th Avenue offramp, where another car caught fire due to overheating.
”The car caught fire between Beyers Naude and 14th Avenue. It probably overheated due to the traffic pile-up,” Vermaak said.
Fatal accidents
Meanwhile, a man was killed and three family members were in a critical condition after their car lost control and crashed early on Sunday morning in Witpoortjie in Johannesburg.
The accident occurred at 12.30am on Corlett Avenue heading towards Soweto, said Vermaak.
”All the occupants were flung out of the BMW, which crashed through two signposts and landed on its roof, off the road.”
The driver died on the scene before paramedics could treat him. Vermaak said the car landed on top of the man’s daughter. ”As the tow-truck driver was removing the car, they discovered the girl underneath it. She has massive head injuries.”
The man’s son and nephew were also in a critical condition. All were taken to hospital.
Vermaak said the family was driving back from a wedding in Roodepoort when the accident happened. The man’s wife was at their home at the time of the accident.
A 36-year-old man was killed early on Saturday after he lost control of his car and it overturned on the M1 North in Johannesburg on Saturday, metro police said. Chief Superintendent Wayne Minnaar said the accident happened at about 2am. The man was travelling in a white Mercedes-Benz.
”He lost control of his car and it overturned and he died on the spot.”
It is believed that he was on his way home to Alexandra, Minnaar said.
Head-on collision
Also, three people were killed in a head-on collision near Thembisa on the East Rand on Saturday, Ekurhuleni metro police said. Inspector Mzeli Nhlapo said the driver of a green Mazda collided with a taxi as he was trying to overtake a truck between the R21 and the Ookmoor railway station on Saturday afternoon.
”The driver of the Mazda and a passenger died immediately but are still trapped in the vehicle; emergency services are on the scene trying to remove the bodies,” he said.
A third passenger in the Mazda also died on the scene, but his body had been removed from the vehicle. Two other people from the same vehicle were taken to Thembisa hospital with severe injuries.
The driver of the taxi and seven other passengers were also injured in the crash, said Ekurhuleni emergency services spokesperson John Leotlela. They were also taken to Thembisa hospital.
Nhlapo described the accident as ”worse than the one last weekend”, referring to a devastating accident near Fairlands on Sunday that left six people dead, including two children and an 18-month-old child severely injured.
Cases of reckless and negligent driving and culpable homicide have been opened, he said. — Sapa