KZN driver escapes impalement by falling branch

A KwaZulu-Natal man is counting his blessings after he was nearly impaled when a tree branch smashed through his windscreen in the Midlands on Sunday.

Vusi Thusi, 44, said he had been driving along the R103 from Howick to his home in Mooi River when the incident occurred at about 4pm.

“I was about 500m from Nottingham Road, near Gowrie Village.

I was driving at a speed of 60-70km/h because there was a vehicle in front of me. There was a fire that was burning and running through the tree line,” he said.

Out of nowhere, a large branch from one of the burnt trees fell and smashed through his windscreen.

“I didn’t see it falling. It happened so fast.

“I didn’t know if someone was shooting at me or what, because it just came right through the windscreen and crushed the centre console behind the handbrake.

“I pulled off on the side and parked the vehicle.”

Overwhelmed by how lucky he was to be alive, the father of twin four-year-old daughters said he immediately assessed himself to see whether he had any injuries or cuts.

“I was wearing my glasses which protected my eyes _because there was small pieces of glass all over my body.”

Thusi said the trees along that stretch of the R103 were a serious cause for concern for motorists.

“The trees are near the road and they often fall — especially during the rainy season.”

Despite the harrowing ordeal, Thusi was back at work on Monday.

The tree line in question forms part of the Rawdons Hotel and Estate, near Nottingham Road.

Owner Peter Dean said the fire had started on a premises across the road when three high-voltage Eskom cables were believed to have swayed in the wind and touched each other, causing electrical arcing and sparks. —