A man has tragically died after his vehicle was crushed by a tipper truck transporting tar on the R102 in KwaZulu-Natal on Tuesday afternoon.
The fatal accident occurred at the Vincent Dickenson Road robots in Canelands, on the KZN north coast.
Reaction Unit South Africa (Rusa) responded to the scene just before 4pm after receiving multiple calls for assistance.
Upon arrival, paramedics and Rusa members found a Mercedes-Benz tip-truck on its side, lying on top of a white Toyota Hilux bakkie.
Rusa spokesperson Prem Balram said the driver of the Toyota Hilux had been crushed between both vehicles.
It was reported that the truck’s brakes had failed as it was traveling from Verulam towards Tongaat.
The driver attempted to veer off the road, striking a Toyota Fortuner before colliding with the stationary Hilux, which had experienced mechanical failure.
At the time of the collision, the driver of the Hilux was attempting to repair his vehicle.
Despite efforts from emergency services to extricate the man, he was declared dead at the scene due to severe head, facial, and chest injuries.
The truck driver, fortunately, was not injured.
KZN police have opened a case of culpable homicide, with investigations underway.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed that the deceased, a 50-year-old man, was fixing his vehicle on the side of the road when the truck collided with it, leading to his tragic death.
This accident is part of a string of fatal collisions on KZN’s roads this week.
On Monday, two taxi crashes in Durban left over 20 people injured, and another fatal crash on the M4 claimed the life of a man in his 30s.