Durban - Three members of the Francis family who were travelling back home to Newcastle were killed in the multiple-vehicle crash on the N3 between Hilton and Cedara Road on Monday.
Ralph Francis, his wife Michelle and their 16-year-old son Matthew were killed, while the couple’s 21-year-old daughter Janine remains in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
The Department of Transport confirmed on Tuesday that a total of six people were killed in the crash and at least 78 were injured.
A family spokesperson, Silas Marimuthu, said yesterday that the family were struggling to come to terms with the tragedy.
“It’s just shocking for something like this to happen. It’s not something you expect, for three of your family members to be taken in one day. We are battling to accept what happened.”
Marimuthu described the family as kind and loving.
“The family members that we lost were some of the most kind-hearted and loving people that you would ever meet. It’s just devastating that they are not here any more.”
Marimuthu said that Francis had also worked for him at one point.
“He was a family member but he also worked for me for 14 years. In that time he was the most dedicated hard worker that I came across. He worked as my fleet manager and did everything to the best of his abilities.
“I just can’t believe Michelle and Matthew are gone. Matthew was 16 and a Grade 10 pupil at Lincoln Heights Secondary School. We are praying for Janine to recover.
“It’s a difficult time for us but we are planning to have the funeral on Saturday.”
Marimuthu said he believed that the number of trucks on the roads was one of the causes of Monday’s fatal crash.
“There are just too many trucks on the road and we need the Department of Transport to intervene and control the numbers. The unfortunate thing is that some trucks are not compliant with the rules of the road and that is why we are finding that there are so many truck accidents and deaths on our roads.
“I think government needs to look at regulating the number of trucks, especially during holidays as this is the time that most people are travelling. We can’t have accidents like this happening.”
There were dozens of tributes posted on social media for the family.
One post read: “Our heartfelt condolences to the families that lost loved ones in this tragic accident. Our government and Department of Transport need to intervene so that we don’t have road accidents like this.”