IT was like watching a horror movie.
Those were the words of Nabou accident survivor Davend Sharma, who watched a vegetable truck collide with a minivan carrying 13 people in a highway accident that cut short the lives of six people.
Mr Sharma was travelling towards Sigatoka with his wife Anjila, 55, when their SUV was hit by the out of control vegetable truck along the Queens Highway.
The 57-year-old said the minivan was torn to shreds when it collided with a Grace Farm truck. The truck then tumbled about 20 meters before hitting his vehicle.
“I was about two cars behind the minivan and we were turning into a bend when the truck travelling in the opposite direction veered into our side of the road,” he said. “It happened so fast that we couldn’t even avoid the truck that was racing towards us.
“All we saw was the truck veering onto our lane and ripping open the left side of the van. “All of the people inside were thrown out and before we could react the back of the truck hit us too.” He said the minivan had been travelling below 80 kilometres before it was hit.
“The truck hit the van then tumbled over before hitting us. It was like watching a horror movie.”
Mr Sharma said he believed the minivan driver drove within the speed limit. “I knew everyone in that minivan was going somewhere because we could see flags flying out of their windows. I don’t think he was at fault.”
His wife Anjila was in a state of shock after they were removed from their vehicle. “I was in shock. I didn’t know what to do. When people came to ask us if we needed to go to the hospital, I told them to take the kids. There were so many bodies and a lot of people needing help.”
The couple were at their Malolo home in Nadi yesterday, recovering from their injuries. They said they were fortunate to walk out of the terrifying incident alive. “It will stay with us for the rest of our lives.
“Last night I could not sleep. I kept thinking about the young lives that were lost.”
The road death toll now stands at 38, the same as at the same time last year.
