A driver escaped unharmed after he drove into a giant hole in Durban's Umbilo area on Friday morning.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said they were called to the area before 6am near a petrol station in Umbilo Road.
‘’On arrival, emergency teams found that a single vehicle crashed into an open hole filled with water where men had been doing construction work for the last few weeks. The driver was assessed and fortunately did not sustain any injuries,’’ Jamieson said.
He said metro police were also at the scene and will be investigating further.
Jamieson said ALS Paramedics attended to multiple crashes at the same spot due to a lack of signage or barrier tape.
‘’This specific hole takes up three lanes, and people realize that they need to change lanes, and this is where collisions occur. At night, this hole is not visible at all, and all barrier tape has been damaged or blown away,’’ Jamieson told IOL.
He said there are several roads in and around the city that are damaged. He urges motorists to be observant when driving.
‘’Concentrate on the roadway and try and see the damaged road before you hit it and damage your vehicle. By noticing it early, you could avoid the damaged surface and can do this safely. Should you be speeding and not concentrating whilst driving, you will have to slam on your brakes, which could cause a collision or severe damage,’’ Jamieson said.
Meanwhile, residents of Durban’s Berea and Overport are angry and have sent a number of complaints about the collapse of city roads, particularly a massive washaway at the north end of Peter Mokaba (Ridge) Road that has been in the same condition for more than a month.
IOL