THE actions of a quick thinking truck driver may have averted tragedy when he steered a runaway truck away from an East London child care centre into a neighbouring garage.
The truck, which was delivering furniture to a store, was travelling down Jacob Nanni Place in North End with three other passengers when the brakes reportedly failed.
It hit a BMW parked in the road and went down the cul-de-sac towards the Salem Baby Care centre.
Concerned there might be children on the playground, the driver steered the vehicle through the fence of the centre and through the wall of Edward’s Garage.
It landed on top of a VW Polo and a stationary truck parked at the garage.
The driver of the Polo, Gerald Pyoos, had a lucky escape. He had stopped there just minutes earlier and was in the office at the time of the crash.
“I came to the garage to settle an account – when I got out I found a huge truck on top of my car,” he said.
Pyoos said he would not pursue the driver and would leave the matter in the hands of the insurer.
“I am just happy that the accident happened when I was not in the car,” he said.
Brian Bailey, a director at the garage, said he was busy with repairs when he heard a loud bang outside. “I was shocked. Fortunately there was no loss of life.”
He said the truck in the yard, which had also been damaged in the crash, was due for repairs. Bailey said the owner had been contacted and informed of the accident.
One passenger in the truck suffered a back and rib injury while two others complained of minor aches and pains.
All three were taken to Frere Hospital. The driver had no injuries and made a statement to police at the scene.
The furniture store did not want to be named or comment on the accident. An employee at the centre, Dorothy May, said just after 11am she saw a speeding truck coming towards the centre.
May said she rushed inside the centre where she alerted everyone about the crash that was about to happen. “Luckily the driver swerved and missed the centre by just metres.”
Lereen Naidoo, a director at the centre, said: “I spoke to the driver soon after the crash and he assured me that he knew that this was a place for children and there is no way he was going to crash into it.” — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
Truck crashes into garage, lands on car
The truck, which was delivering furniture to a store, was travelling down Jacob Nanni Place in North End with three other passengers when the brakes reportedly failed.
It hit a BMW parked in the road and went down the cul-de-sac towards the Salem Baby Care centre.
Concerned there might be children on the playground, the driver steered the vehicle through the fence of the centre and through the wall of Edward’s Garage.
It landed on top of a VW Polo and a stationary truck parked at the garage.
The driver of the Polo, Gerald Pyoos, had a lucky escape. He had stopped there just minutes earlier and was in the office at the time of the crash.
“I came to the garage to settle an account – when I got out I found a huge truck on top of my car,” he said.
Pyoos said he would not pursue the driver and would leave the matter in the hands of the insurer.
“I am just happy that the accident happened when I was not in the car,” he said.
Brian Bailey, a director at the garage, said he was busy with repairs when he heard a loud bang outside. “I was shocked. Fortunately there was no loss of life.”
He said the truck in the yard, which had also been damaged in the crash, was due for repairs. Bailey said the owner had been contacted and informed of the accident.
One passenger in the truck suffered a back and rib injury while two others complained of minor aches and pains.
All three were taken to Frere Hospital. The driver had no injuries and made a statement to police at the scene.
The furniture store did not want to be named or comment on the accident. An employee at the centre, Dorothy May, said just after 11am she saw a speeding truck coming towards the centre.
May said she rushed inside the centre where she alerted everyone about the crash that was about to happen. “Luckily the driver swerved and missed the centre by just metres.”
Lereen Naidoo, a director at the centre, said: “I spoke to the driver soon after the crash and he assured me that he knew that this was a place for children and there is no way he was going to crash into it.” — zwangam@dispatch.co.za
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