By Our Reporter
A family in Springs is facing unimaginable tragedy as they now have to prepare for two funerals instead of one, following a horrific accident involving a mortuary vehicle. The incident occurred on Thursday on Clydesdale Road in Springs, in South Africa claiming the lives of the hearse driver and a family member of the deceased being transported.
According to Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Police Department (EMPD) spokesperson Zweli Dlamini, EMPD officers from the Springs precinct responded to the scene at approximately 4pm on Thursday. What they discovered was a scene of devastation: a mortuary vehicle engulfed in flames, with the driver still inside.
“Upon arrival, officers found other emergency workers and discovered the mortuary vehicle carrying a deceased person, burned with the driver still inside. The other deceased was found outside, next to a large fallen tree. Paramedics declared the driver and passenger dead on the spot,” said Dlamini.
The circumstances leading up to the crash are particularly heartbreaking. Dlamini explained that, “It is alleged that the mortuary vehicle came from fetching the body at the hospital, and it was asked by the passenger, which was the family of the deceased, to pass through the place where the deceased died to take his spirit.”
It was during this detour, driven by cultural beliefs and a desire to honour the deceased, that tragedy struck. “That was when the driver lost control and collided into a tree,” Dlamini confirmed. The impact caused the vehicle to burst into flames, resulting in the deaths of the driver and the family member accompanying the body.
A motorist who witnessed the aftermath of the crash expressed his shock and grief, requesting anonymity. “Most motorists watched in disbelief as the mortuary vehicle carrying a deceased person burned with the driver still inside. I’m so hurt, thinking about the families of the driver and the bereaved family who were planning to bury their loved one, and then this tragic incident happened,” he said.
The incident serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of life and the unexpected turns that grief can take. What began as a family’s attempt to pay their respects to a deceased loved one has resulted in further loss and profound sorrow.
The crash also comes at a time when road safety is under increased scrutiny. On Thursday, Minister of Transport Barbara Creecy launched the March to May road safety campaign, urging motorists to exercise caution and vigilance on the roads.
The Department of Transport has identified several critical routes across the country that will receive additional resources and focused monitoring during this period, including:
The N4 Nelspruit
Mankweng (R71)
Libode on the N2, Mthatha’s R61
Parys (FS), R54
Harrismith and the N3
KwaDukuza, N2 in KZN
N4 Middleburg in Mpumalanga
Nongoma, R66 in KZN
“Our Theme for this campaign is, ‘It begins with Me’,” Minister Creecy stated. “We chose this theme because driver and pedestrian behaviour is responsible for 87% of road accidents and fatalities in our country. And so, reducing road fatalities and accidents is the responsibility of each of us.”
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