Four killed in Nseleni as taxi driver is throttled by passenger
Four people were killed and six were seriously injured in a collision between a truck and minibus taxi after a passenger apparently attempted to throttle the taxi driver on the N2 near Empangeni.
KwaZulu-Natal Road Traffic Inspectorate spokeswoman Zinhle Mngomezulu said on Sunday “witnesses alleged that a rear passenger grabbed the driver by the throat, thereby distracting him and resulting in the collision”. It was not immediately known why the passenger was attempting to grab the driver by the throat.
Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said: “Some of the patients indicated that a passenger was trying to choke the driver just before the accident happened.”
Both said that other passengers indicated that the man who attempted to choke the driver had fled from the accident scene.
Mngomezulu said the lorry was in the slow lane on its way from Mtubatuba to Durban when it was hit by the taxi, which was on its way from Empangeni to Nseleni with 15 passengers.
Botha said three men, including the taxi driver, and a woman were killed in the collision. Paramedics from both the provincial and private ambulance services were in attendance at the accident scene.
Botha said six other passengers were seriously injured while the rest sustained moderate to minor injuries and were taken to various hospitals in the area. The accident happened near Nseleni, which is about 20km north of Empangeni.