Durban — The driver of a vehicle was killed when he lost control of the vehicle which crashed through a bridge rail and landed in a river on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast.
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda said that Southport police are investigating a case of culpable homicide following an incident where an unknown motorist veered off the road and his vehicle ended up in a river below the R102 Idomba bridge on Monday evening.
“Reports indicate that the driver was declared dead on the scene and a passenger was taken to hospital for medical attention,” Netshiunda said.
KwaZulu Private Ambulance (KZPA) spokesperson Chantell Botha said that on Monday night, the service responded to the R102 near Anerley for reports of a collision.
Botha said that when emergency services arrived, they found that a car had lost control and crashed off a bridge into the river below.
She said that paramedics quickly assessed the scene and found one occupant had sustained serious injuries.
“Together with SAPS Search and Rescue and Ray Nkonyeni Fire Department, paramedics stabilised the patient and carried them up the bank to safety.
“Sadly, one occupant sustained fatal injuries and was declared dead on scene,” Botha said.
Earlier this month, a 26-year-old woman was killed after she drove onto a bridge that had collapsed during the April floods last year.
Netshiunda said that Ntuzuma police are investigating a case of culpable homicide.
He said the incident happened on Hesane Road, Newtown, in Inanda, in the early hours on April 8.
In a statement, the EFF in KwaZulu-Natal said newly appointed chairperson of eThekwini Municipality’s human settlements and infrastructure, Themba Mvubu, was quickly on site to check why the road was not barricaded to avoid any vehicles from passing through.
Mvubu committed to speedy interventions to fix this road now that the EFF has the responsibility of infrastructure in the eThekwini metro.
“The EFF will further probe with the municipal officials as to who must be held responsible for this tragic incident. Someone did not do their job and there must be accountability,” the statement read.
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