Light pole kills businessman
A RUNAWAY truck was the cause of a freak accident that claimed the life of a young Bluff businessman.
Derosh Sewraj, 28, was killed this week when he was struck by a light pole which had been hit by a runaway truck on Brighton Road on the Bluff.
Sewraj’s brother, Dilvir, said the family were struggling to come to terms with their tragic loss.
Dilvir said he had seen his brother a few minutes earlier when he drove past him.
“My brother and I run two different car dealerships alongside the Wentworth Hotel which is owned by our dad. My brother had ordered bricks for a building he was constructing at the back of his dealership.
“He was waiting outside his business to direct the driver where to offload the bricks. The truck somehow rolled down the road and hit a light pole. He was hit by the light pole and he died instantly,” said Dilvir.
He said the truck then stopped in someone’s yard.
Dilvir said he received a call from someone at the hotel to say there had been an incident at his brother’s premises and that he had to go there quickly.
“There have been a number of
hijackings in the Bluff area recently and I thought it was something like that. I rushed over and there were lots of people but no one could tell me what had happened. I asked for my brother and was told he had gone. I was under the impression he was hijacked. Then someone who works with him pointed to where he was covered on the floor,” said Dilvir.
He said he was told his brother was looking in the opposite direction and
walking back to his business when the pole hit him from the back.
Dilvir said there should have been safety procedures in place before they started off-loading the truck.
“We asked the police to conduct a drug test on the driver. We want answers as to why the truck rolled. Hopefully, the police and forensics will be able to assist us with answers to help us get some closure. It was a freak accident but so many things have
been going through our minds of how it could have been avoided.
“My brother was a perfectionist but a humble person. We saw and spoke to each other everyday. He never did anything wrong. He was a straight businessman. His intentions were pure and he was kind-hearted,” said Dilvir.
Police spokesperson Constable Thenjiswa Ngcobo said a case of culpable homicide was opened at Brighton Beach police station for investigation.
“The truck driver alleged that on September 6, 2022, at 11.30am, he was off-loading when the truck rolled, knocked the pole and the pole hit a 28-year-old man on the head and he died. The truck then rolled into a house. Circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated," said Ngcobo.
Sewraj’s funeral took place on Thursday at the Clare Estate Crematorium.