[imagesource:twitter/@tndaba]

If you’ve ever driven down Kloof Nek Road in Cape Town CBD, you’ll know it can be a slippery slope all the way from the top of the cafe and bar-lined street. The route is notorious for speedsters as it’s easy to pick up pace down the natural decline, and the lack of regular traffic stops makes it all-too tempting to keep flying.

Yesterday morning a massive truck carrying frozen fish learned the risks of rushing down Kloof Nek the hard way, ending in one of the most destructive Cape Town traffic accidents we’ve seen so far this year.

A 24-wheeler truck lost control going down the steep slope, resulting in injuries to six individuals, including former Miss South Africa, Cindy Nell-Roberts.

Stunned onlookers watched as the massive truck collided with multiple vehicles on this busy CBD road before jack-knifing and smashing into a nearby apartment block.

Cape Town – Kloof Nek Road: #TruckCrash at Tamboerskloof pic.twitter.com/JahJDbE49n

— TrafficSA (@TrafficSA) September 12, 2023

As emergency services rushed to the scene, bystanders found that the truck’s driver was trapped inside the overturned cabin. While onlookers waited in shock, a heroic contractor dashed over from his nearby work location armed with a circular saw. The local worker used the tool to cut open the locked door, ultimately saving the trapped man’s life. Now that’s South African courage and ingenuity at work in real time.

The ill-fated truck had been en route from Camps Bay when it experienced a sudden mishap. Some of the frozen fish boxes it was transporting spilled onto the road, causing it to spin out of control.

The steep descent of Kloof Nek Road amplified the truck’s descent into chaos, leading to multiple collisions, including three cars and even an Uber delivery scooter.

Footage of the smash-up is doing the rounds on social media, and the scenes are the epitome of choas. Boxes of frozen fish, distressed onlookers and pieces of destroyed vehicles and rubble litter the area.

@william.de.bruin #accident #drivesafely ♬ original sound – William.De.Bruin

The truck driver was swiftly transported to Netcare Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital for medical attention after being freed from the truck cab.

Former Miss South Africa, Cindy Nell-Roberts, who was among those injured, recounted the harrowing experience, explaining that her car was dragged over 100m.

“I am so traumatised, but I am fine. I was driving on Kloof Street and going about my business and I found it unusual that such a big truck was driving on that road. As I was turning, I heard a screeching sound, and the truck knocked into me and dragged my car for 100 metres and spun out of control.”

Francine Higham, governmental councillor for Ward 77, has since addressed the renewed concerns regarding speeding along Kloof Nek Road following the incident. Apparently interventions are planned to try and curb tragedies such as this in the future.

“I know that there are a lot of concerns about speeding on this road. We are looking to address this and putting in interventions in the short term, such as reactivating the camera at the top of Kloof Nek Road, and hopefully, we will be able to announce more on this soon.”

Thankfully there were no fatalities this time, but the tumultuous crash should serve as a warning to those who take liberties with the speed limit down this particular Cape Town slope. This is real life ya’ll, not the Fast and the Furious.

[source:thecitizen]