Tragedy After Bakkie Collides With Truck

The road between Bendel and Kuruman is under construction, and according to locals is uneven and covered in gravel. A Toyota Hilux bakkie seems to have been travelling toward Bendel from Kuruman, with it's thirteen occupants, who all had shopping bags full of groceries with them.


A large construction truck was travelling in the opposite direction to the bakkie when the collision occurred. Paramedics on scene speculate that the driver of the bakkie lost control of his vehicle and collided head on into the front of the truck. The impact was so severe that the front axle of the truck broke loose, causing the front of the truck to further crush the already badly damaged bakkie. The bakkie's canopy had been torn loose, and people were scattered around the scene and nearby open field, along with their various belongings and bags of groceries.

Four people had already lost their lives, including the bakkie's driver, who was still trapped inside the vehicle, with the bakkie's engine almost entirely on top of his lap. The local emergency services were treating a nine month old baby boy who had sustained multiple critical injuries, and they rushed him to hospital, but there was nothing further that could be done for him. He died in the emergency room shortly after arrival.

Eight others were treated and transported for various moderate injuries, including the baby's mother, who was told of her tragedy while lying in the hospital being treated for her own injuries. Paramedics could hear her cries of grief as they collected their equipment and tidied their ambulance outside.

The driver of the truck was left traumatised, but fortunately uninjured. The police service was on the scene to investigate the actual cause of the accident.