Crash landing

A Cape Flats taxi driver has been arrested for drunken driving after his taxi overturned yesterday.

The driver lost control of his vehicle, leaving several of his passengers injured.

The taxi overturned on the ramp leading onto the N2 incoming at Mowbray, causing traffic to back up on the N2 and M5 highway early yesterday morning.

The City of Cape Town’s Executive Director of Safety and Security, Richard Bosman confirms the arrest and says several minor injures were reported.

“This morning we had a taxi on the N2 incoming where the driver lost control and the vehicle overturned. Seven people were slightly injured and the taxi driver was arrested for being under the influence of alcohol,” he says.

Passengers managed to crawl out of the overturned vehicle and looked dazed as they stood on the side of the road.

Emergency Medical Services transported seven women passengers to Groote Schuur Hospital for treatment, while aggravated taxi and bus drivers as well as irate motorists who were stuck behind the overturned taxi squeezed past on the pavement before authorities cordoned off the road.

One shocked passenger, who didn’t want to be named, said everything happened so suddenly.

“It was so fast, the driver wasn’t even speeding but we crashed,” the woman said.

A senior firefighter on the scene told the Daily Voice they’ve seen a drastic increase in road accidents.

“This has been happening a lot, especially in winter because the roads are wet,” he said.

On Saturday, one person died and five people passengers were injured after a car and a taxi collided head-on on Sir Lowry’s Pass.

The vehicles ignited on impact, and the unidentified motorist in the Toyota Yaris burnt to death behind the wheel.

The cause of the crash is still being investigated.