Another luxury car ploughs into the Sand River

A Cape Town couple narrowly missed serious injury when their luxury Mercedes car they were driving ploughed down the steep bank into the Sand River this afternoon (7 October 2012)

It appears that the driver drove straight instead of turning right as the vehicle approached the Sand River Bridge from the Humansdorp side, a traffic officer at the site said.

Onlookers remarked that the driver just missed hitting the old bridge as it careered over the bank to the left of the old causeway. It’s also believed that the vehicle’s airbags saved the couple who were taken to hospital in an ambulance suffering from minor injuries.

The accident happened about 2 pm this afternoon.  The car rolled – presumably as it went down the bank and came to a rest in the river on its side.

The photos show the car having been righted and being towed out of the river by a tow truck.

At least 12 cars have been been involved in accidents at the Sand River Bridge since the second temporary bridge was built in August last year. Some of the cars were valued at around R1-million.

There have been repeated calls to the Provincial Roads Department – under whose jurisdiction the bridge falls, to place more adequate signage and barriers on the sides of the bridge. 

Fortunately so far no one has been seriously injured at the bridge and there have been no lives lost in the accidents.

St Francis Chronicle reported recently that construction of a new, bigger, stronger and safer bridge will only start in 2014 – as there first has to be an EIA.

 Article and Photos: Bev Mortimer, St Francis Chronicle

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