Very puzzled by photos in today's papers of the bus in which 8 people died yesterday. There's a small pic at the bottom of this article.
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3361949.stm
I am amazed at how intact the vehicle is. There seems to be no frontal damage at all, and the doors and side windows are intact. Only things to note are that the windscreen is missing and the roof as been raised a bit (could have happened in the recovery). But it doesn't look to me like a bus that has been rolled at high speed.
I've seen picture of crashed cars that look 3 times worse than this bus, and everyone walked away with just a few scratches.
Odd.
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yes i agree but i suspect a lack of seat belts may have something to do with it. A terrible tragedy for all envolved.
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Agree completely.
I too was astonished that 8 people had died in a vehicle which appeared to be virtually intact.
Seatbelts (or the lack thereof) may well be a factor.
Is there a safety issue with minibuses?
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it seems driver didn't have licence.. i think this is going to get worse and worse...
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it seems driver didn't have licence.. i think this is going to get worse and worse...
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Latest info
news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3364515.stm
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From South Africa Broadcasting (SABC)
Bergville driver not fit to drive
02 January 2004, 21:35
Preliminary results of the probe into the Bergville crash in which nine people - one pedestrian and eight British tourists - died has revealed that the driver was allegedly unlicensed, KwaZulu-Natal transport said today. Logan Maistry, a spokesperson for the department, said the driver, Christopher Kampfert (24) of Mask Expeditions, which owned the Mercedes Sprinter, in which the tourists were travelling, did not have correct code of driving licence. Maistry said the driver was supposed to be in possession of a code EC1 driving license and a professional driving permit. However, the driver was in possession of code EB and code C1, which made him an unlicensed driver, said Maistry. The permit for professional driving allowed the driver to drive a combination of vehicles with a gross vehicle mass not greater than 3 500kg. However, the Mercedes Sprinter weighed 50kg over the limit, said Maistry. The investigation, which was conducted at the scene of the accident, was done by experts from the Department of Transport yesterday. According to Maistry the following were found: - the trailer's licence disc was expired; - the trailer was fitted with a park brake and overrun brake instead of a service brake and a park brake; and - the trailer's mass was 2 500kg instead of 750kg. The vehicle went off the road in a bow for about 48m before overturning in a ditch. "The results also show that speed might have been a contributory factor to this crash," said Maistry. The department would send the preliminary report to the British High Commissioner. Subsequently they would be forwarded to the South African Public Prosecutor as evidence in the trial. The investigation and gathering of evidence was still continuing, said Maistry.
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If I remember correctly, when I saw this on the news last night, I am almost sure that the roof area of the minibus was crushed at one side, making the van "triangle like".
Could be mistaken, but it looks like it has been pulled back out in the picture?
R.I.P.
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If I remember correctly, when I saw this on the news last night, I am almost sure that the roof area of the minibus was crushed at one side, making the van "triangle like". Could be mistaken, but it looks like it has been pulled back out in the picture?
Hmmmm - compare
tinyurl.com/237aq
and
tinyurl.com/2ujxt
The later photo is as published in South Africa.
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>> Hmmmm - compare tinyurl.com/237aq and tinyurl.com/2ujxt The later photo is as published in South Africa.
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henry
thats an entirely different accident back in 2002
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which one is from 2002? Certainly the clips on TV all had it still connected to a trailer it was towing?
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mailto:tinyurl.com/237aq
this link is nothing to do with yesterday this was in oct 2002
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thats an entirely different accident back in 2002
That would make sense.
Also from the original SABC item I quoted from tinyurl.com/39jrm
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Listening to the news today it would appear the driver was not properly licenced plus the trailer had the wrong type of braking for the load carried.
Agreed - the bus did look rather intact, but as it has been said, seatbelts probably had a lot to do with it.
Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tragedy.
--
groups.msn.com/honestjohn - Pictures say a thousand words.....
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Just some background info on this one:
In KwaZulu/Natal (KZN), the province where the incident occured, there are some real tiger laws.
In SA in general, anyone in the tourist industry must have a specific drivers license for public conveyance, which is valid for only one year before a re-test. Also, this license has some really strict conditions, ie alcohol level a quarter of the otherwise legal limit etc.
In KZN, commerical vehicles, of this was one, should have a specific plate - different colour to standard plate. As the vehicle involved was Gauteng registered, this doesn't apply, unfortunately.
Too many people are setting themselves up as tourist guides, but not following the laws...
I suspect the driver is looking at a long sentence.
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