IN PICS | KZN family's lucky escape after truck crashes into their house

Litha Ntobela was awakened by a 'boom' sound after a truck veered off the road and crashed into her house.
Litha Ntobela was awakened by a 'boom' sound after a truck veered off the road and crashed into her house.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu

A KwaZulu-Natal homeowner is grateful no one was killed when a heavy duty truck crashed into her house on the south coast.

The truck driver allegedly lost control while trying to avoid steel roadside barricades on the N2 in Izingolweni on Monday night.

Homeowner Litha Ntobela, 68, said barricades had been removed from the area and placed in the road by community members during a service delivery protest a few minutes before the accident.

“The truck was travelling on the road, not aware of what had happened. Since it was load-shedding the driver didn't see that there were objects on the road until it was too late to stop and tried to avoid it, but he lost control.”

She said she was asleep when she heard a loud “boom” but she knew immediately that it was a vehicle crashing into her house. Discovering it was a truck pulling two trailers that had crashed into the side where her son’s bedroom was, Ntobela feared the worst.

Litha Ntobela was lucky to have escaped injury when a truck veered off the road and crashed into the side of her house.
Litha Ntobela was lucky to have escaped injury when a truck veered off the road and crashed into the side of her house.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu

“I rushed to check on him and felt very relieved when I saw that no one had died, even the driver survived. I just prayed and thanked God because He really showed mercy on us.”

Ntobela said the truck owners assured her they would cover the cost of the damage to her house and signed an agreement with the police confirming it.

Litha Ntobela feared the worst when she realised a truck had crashed into her son's bedroom.
Litha Ntobela feared the worst when she realised a truck had crashed into her son's bedroom.
Image: Sandile Ndlovu

Sherwin Naicker, from Regal Cartage, confirmed that the company would cover the cost and added they have already incurred costs of more than half a million rand, due to damage to the truck.

“Towing cost around R65,000 and the damage to the truck is around R600,000. Now we are waiting for a quotation for the damage to the house.”

Meanwhile, the community protest was due to water supply issues in the area. Ntobela said tankers were dispatched sometimes but this was infrequent.

“When they do come we have to push wheelbarrows for long distances to get to them, which is not easy for some of us who are senior citizens.”

At times they were left without drinking water when they needed to take medication.

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