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Sinokuthaba Dube, Sunday News Reporter
THREE Bulawayo firefighters escaped with minor injuries when their fire tender was involved in an accident with a Toyota Hilux along Matopos Road in Bulawayo yesterday.
The accident occurred near Gifford Boys High School as the Toyota Hilux driving to a wedding was coming from the Central Business District while the fire tender was heading to an emergency.
It is alleged that the driver might have been speeding and failed to put on brakes while the fire tender truck came from its right resulting in the accident.
When a Sunday News crew arrived at the accident scene around 12 noon the fire fighters had already been retrieved and the traffic police officers were at the scene of the accident.
Acting Bulawayo chief fire officer Mr Jabulani Ndlovu said the fire tender truck was responding to a fire incident at Honey Pot in Nketa suburb when it collided with the Toyota Hilux that was coming from the CBD along Bossborough Road in Belmont, a few metres away from their work station.
The firefighters were quickly rushed to the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) where they were treated and discharged a few hours later.
Mr Ndlovu said the accident was suspected to have been caused by speeding and excitement as the Toyota Hilux car was heading to a wedding.
The Toyota Hilux driver, Mr Felix Siziba whose car had South African registration number plates told Sunday News that he could not quickly brake seeing that it could cause more harm, instead chose to swerve leading to the collision.
Members of the public who were around the scene also shared the same sentiments that the accident might have been caused by speeding.
“From the look of things the Toyota driver was speeding as the accident occurred while he was trying to swerve away from his lane to avoid oncoming traffic while the truck hit it from the side and rolled to the other side of the road,” said one of the people at the scene. @Loxtiongodess
Online Reporter