Durban ( Kloof ) M13 East Bound Fields Hill.
Traffic came to a standstill this morning after an articulated truck jacked knifed and over turned on the M13 east bound heading towards Pinetown, causing all three lanes to be closed to traffic.
ER24 paramedics rushed to the scene to find a container lying across the highway and still connected to the trailer. The cabin of the truck was facing towards oncoming traffic. The driver was found walking around on the scene and had not suffered any injuries. Fire Department had to use specialised equipment to cut the container away from the trailer so the towing company could move the truck to one side.
Metro Police had closed off the M13 / N3 Split to help minimize traffic volume. Cars were taken off the M13 and directed onto Pioneer road into Pinetown. Traffic on the N3 also became congested as traffic was backlogged for about 1km from the Marrianhill Tolplaza due to this accident.
It is believed that the driver who is a foreign nationalist did not know where he was going, had gone up Fields Hill and done a turn at the Shell garage to come back down the highway. He then said that he started to have mechanical problems and lost control of the truck.
All necessary authorities were on the scene and would be investigating the accident. It is unclear when the road will be reopened to traffic.
Derrick Banks
ER24
