The owner of an emergency response service in South Africa has said that the driver of a police van involved in a collision yesterday that killed two cyclists riding a tandem is guilty of “absolute negligence.”
The fatal incident took place at around 9.45am yesterday morning on the R550 road near Eikenhof, on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
Police spokesman Tshisikhawe Ndou, quoted by the Independent Online, said: “We are investigating a case of culpable homicide but no arrests have been made as yet.”
He added that the two police officers were receiving treatment for shock.
While the two cyclists had not been formally identified, Independent Online quoted a tweet from a local cyclist who identified the victims as Thersa and Henry.
Jean-Pierre van Tonder, who owns the Helivac emergency response service, attended the scene and commented that “from the position of the bikes and bodies, the police van appeared to be travelling in the same direction as the bicycle.
“This is absolute negligence,” he continued. “It’s not a road where cyclists could be hiding behind bends or not visible.
“How this vehicle didn’t see the cyclists I have no idea. It’s a long, straight stretch of road. You can see in front and behind of you for 3km. The police van mowed into the grass for some distance before stopping. It was definitely travelling at quite a speed,” he added.
This was a very good listing of bikes for under 1,000....
Radar tells me their closing speed, if they are slowing and how far away. Then I decide to say a prayer. The change of light pattern is incidental.
Quite so, which is why our village 20mph zone covers the whole residential extent. Of course, enforcement is another thing..
£4.
No, that's very doubtful while proper testing would be fully destructive.
What's wrong with dropping down on to the Millenium Bridge, or the swing bridge, then the brief, but satisfying climb back up the hill? #training....
The relatives might of course disagree, but in general I'd countenance a relatively light sentence* if only we could fix it so that those who...
Id forgotten that I got a second hand set of project two's for my getting to work bike over twenty years back.
My bet is that all these tires popping off are from people with bad pressure gauges or they're simply just putting too much air in on purpose. ...
David9694 - you were right! These new autonomous vehicles really are conspiring to run out of control!...