Chaos unfolded on Himalayas Road in Merebank when a heavy-duty truck carrying an abnormal load consisting of a crane, failed to correctly assess the bridge height and crashed into the structure leading to a partial collapse of the Himalayas Road pedestrian bridge, on Friday, 10 January.
Wentworth SAPS communications officer, Captain MP Gumede, said Wentworth SAPS received a report of an incident whereby a heavy-duty truck carrying a heavy-duty crane driving under the bridge southbound, hit the top of the bridge and it collapsed.
“The police members of Wentworth SAPS Vispol responded swiftly and cordoned off the road while traffic was diverted to alternative routes. Fortunately, there were no injuries sustained at the scene.
The driver of the heavy-duty truck was still at the scene and the police will investigate the case of reckless and negligent driving and malicious damage to property, ” Cpt Gumede added.
“PT Alarms security team was on scene and Tactical manager, Dhevan Govindasamy, said the truck driver had attempted to flee the scene but he together with other officers, they stopped the driver until SAPS Wentworth arrived.
Metro Police arrived and controlled the traffic which was already backed up. Metro Police officers impounded the truck and crane in order to conduct a proper investigation. The driver was issued a road traffic fine of R2500, 00 for failing to comply with the required permit to drive an abnormal load on a public road, ” said Cpt Gumede.
Wentworth SAPS Vispol Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Clive Myburg, said: “Thank you to PT Alarms and manager Dhevan Govindasamy and his team for handling the situation.
We would like to thank all the role-players who attended the scene and who made the safety of motorists a priority. Thank you to the residents of Rawalpindi Road for their patience in complying with safety procedures. Thanks is extended to firefighters from the Prospecton fire station, RTI Provincial Inspectorate, eThekwini Municipality Roads and Infrastructure department, PT Alarms security, eThekwini Metro Police and SAPS Wentworth Vispol members. Himalayas Road is barricaded, but alternative routes will be used by the motorists.”
PT Alarms spokesperson, Dhevan Govindasamy said: “PT Alarms strives to work closely with all law enforcement units to keep communities safe. We commend the police officers from the various units for responding swiftly and ensuring the safety of all while undertaking investigations so that the perpetrator faces the consequences for his actions.”
