Concerns over number of bakkies involved in crashes
The Road Traffic Management Corporation (RTMC) says crash investigators have started putting together a chain of events that led to a horror crash in the West Rand on Sunday evening.
Thirteen people were killed when a Toyota Corolla and a Toyota Corolla Hilux double cap bakkie collided on the N12 between Westonaria and Fochville.
Five children between the ages of 5 and 10 were among the deceased.
It is believed that the Toyota Corolla suffered a tyre burst before the crash.
Police spokesperson Lungelo Dlamini says police have opened a case of culpable homicide and investigations are underway.
[FOCHVILLE] – Thirteen killed, nine injured when bakkie and car collide. https://t.co/pefAj7jKeO @ewnupdates @eNCA @JacaNews @jour_maine @IOL @_ArriveAlive @FatalMoves @KayaTraffic @POWER987News @yfmtraffic @News24_SA @OpenNews24 pic.twitter.com/Zzp5MjRYOX
— ER24 EMS (Pty) Ltd. (@ER24EMS) March 18, 2019
RTMC spokesperson Simon Zwane says the tyre has been sent for a forensic test to determine what caused the burst.
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"We are expressing concern about the high number of accidents that we see now involving bakkies or light delivery vehicles.
"The vehicles are constituting 20% of accidents on the roads, which is the second highest.
"And we want to urge users of these vehicles to be very cautious, especially when they are loaded with passengers because where they are in crashes there are many people who get killed," says Zwane.