We were only saved by grace of God – driver

THE driver of the Shosholoza Meyl train that derailed after colliding with a truck near Kroonstad says he is alive only by the grace of God.

Nineteen people died and more than 260 were injured in the crash when several carriages were engulfed in flames while passengers were still trapped inside.

“We were saved only by the grace of God,” the driver told United National Transport Union (Untu) general secretary Steve Harris.

The driver and his woman assistant did not want to be named‚ as they were both still traumatised, Untu said yesterday.

“We were in the cabin and we hooted non-stop at the truck, and applied the emergency brakes.

“It was horrible,” the crying train assistant told Harris.

“We could either jump to our deaths or wait for the impact. We had nowhere to go.”

According to the train driver, he did everything he could to prevent the loss of lives. “I will never forget all the emotions that went through my head,” he said.

“The image before we hit the carrier [trailer truck] is burnt into my brain forever.”

The union said the driver and assistant both sustained head and neck injuries and were badly bruised.

Neither of them had been debriefed or provided with counselling by their employer‚ Prasa, the union claimed.

Prasa officials have laid the blame on the truck driver‚ who they said tried to beat the train.

The train collided with the rear trailer of the articulated tipper truck‚ which was fully loaded with grain.

The train pushed the trailer for nearly 400m, before derailing.

Untu said the train had been travelling at 78km/h at the moment of impact.

Harris said Untu supported the call of its affiliated federation‚ Fedusa, for the truck driver to be charged with murder and not culpable homicide.