On September 5, 2013, an articulated truck drove through a red light at high speed, killing 26 people (later becoming 27) and injuring at least 80, in

Pinetown Pinetown is a large area that is part of the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, inland from Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Pinetown is situated 16 km west of Durban at an elevation of 1,000 to 1,300 feet (305 to 395 m). History Pi ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

. After a light turned green at the junction of Richmond/Josiah Gumede Roads, several vehicles (including taxis full of home-bound commuters) began advancing and were struck side-on moments later by a truck careening down Fields Hill. The driver maintained that the brakes had failed as it descended the notorious hill approaching the intersection. The crash was filmed by the

dashcam A dashboard camera or simply dashcam, also known as car digital video recorder (car DVR), driving recorder, or event data recorder (EDR), is an onboard camera that continuously records the view through a vehicle's front windscreen and sometimes ...

of a vehicle that had been waiting for the light to turn green.Pinetown Accident Death Toll Rises To 27 As Horrifying Crash Footage Emerges
Huffington Post, September 6, 2013 Another angle was also captured on a security camera.

Aftermath

The incident provoked a statement from the acting President of South Africa, Jacob Zuma, who expressed grief and emphasized the need for mindfulness when driving: "The loss of such a high number of people, some of them breadwinners, is painful and has affected so many households negatively. We urge road users, especially drivers, to exercise caution on the roads especially when carrying passengers." After the accident, it was reported that the truck's license had recently expired. Subsequently, the driver Sanele Goodness May, a 23-year-old citizen from Swaziland was taken to court under multiple charges including homicide and reckless driving. He pleaded guilty to all charges and was sentenced to 8 years. Local City Councillor

Rick Crouch Richard "Rick" Crouch (born 6 September 1960) is a South African politician and City Councillor in the eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality representing the official opposition Democratic Alliance. Aside from being a former politician Crouch is ...

has been vocal about the Provincial Government's failure in stopping the carnage on Fields Hill, going as far as accusing the KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Transport, Community Safety and Liaison

Willies Mchunu Willies Mchunu (born 11 May 1948) was the 7th Premier of KwaZulu-Natal province in South Africa. He was previously a Member of the Executive Council (MEC) for the Department of Transport, Community Safety, and Liaison in the province. He is a memb ...

of practicing "tombstone legislation". Councillor Rick Crouch, has been campaigning for stricter rules for trucks on Fields Hill.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pinetown crash 2013 road incidents 2013 in South Africa Bus accidents in South Africa