HEAD-ON CRASH LEAVES 2 DEAD
AN elderly man and a senior Nelson Mandela Bay traffic official were killed in a high-impact head-on collision on the busy N2 freeway adjacent to Cotswold yesterday after one vehicle was allegedly travelling on the wrong side of the road.
Cyril Scott, 93, was killed instantly, while traffic official Msokoli Mbaxa, 57, was resuscitated but died shortly afterwards, following the crash near the Cotswold Bridge at about midday.
Both were travelling alone in a Toyota Conquest and an official traffic services VW Polo respectively.
It is alleged that Scott’s vehicle was travelling westwards on the wrong side of the N2 into oncoming traffic after making a U-turn.
Police, fire department officials and emergency workers closed the N2 – in the direction of Deal Party – for about two hours while investigators combed the scene.
Skid marks showed that both drivers had tried to avoid the collision by braking and swerving.
On impact – in the fast lane of the N2 – both cars spun and came to a stop alongside each other, facing the same direction. Both drivers were trapped. Police spokeswoman Colonel Priscilla Naidu said: “Preliminary investigations reveal that the Conquest was being driven on the wrong side of the road, into oncoming traffic.
“The matter is still being investigat- ed and our accident response unit was on the scene. The vehicles have been impounded and will be examined to assist with the investigation.”
Naidu confirmed that Scott had a valid driver’s licence.
HeraldLIVE Facebook reader Danise Jacobs posted: “The car [Conquest] was in the fast lane and almost went into me.
“I swerved out of the way just in time, then looked back [and] I saw the impact. It’s one of the worst accidents I have seen.”
Nelson Mandela Bay EMS operations manager Ashwell Botha said: “Several emergency services officials were on the scene and assisted with the extraction and treating of the occupants.
“Unfortunately, extensive efforts to save both drivers failed.
“The jaws-of-life were used to cut both drivers out of the vehicles.”
Municipal safety and security political head John Best said Mbaxa had been driving behind a VW Polo, whose driver managed to swerve out of the way of the oncoming vehicle.
“As the Polo swerved, there was insufficient time for the officer to swerve out,” he said.
“Both vehicles then impacted head on. Attempts to swerve by both the officer and the elderly man failed.”
He said it was alleged that the driver of the private car had travelled off the Cotswold bridge, entered the N2, made a U-turn on the N2, and come straight onto oncoming traffic.
“This is a sad day for the traffic department. We lost a dedicated officer,” he said.