Update
GEORGE NEWS - It's nothing short of a miracle that no serious injuries were reported after a church outing to Victoria Bay took a wild swing on Sunday 15 June.
A bakkie carrying at least 10 people allegedly suffered brake failure while driving down the hill to the beach.
How the driver managed to avoid the other vehicles, pedestrians and buildings - aside from the public showers he eventually crashed into - remains the question on many people's minds.
What was meant to be a relaxing visit to the beach for the group from Thembalethu quickly plummeted into chaos as the vehicle ploughed through a concrete bollard and crashed into the public showers near the beach, miraculously missing the restaurant.
Jordy Kokkinidis of the local surf shop says he was busy removing footage from his CCTV cameras when the incident happened.
"I was actually standing right there on the lawn where the bakkie came flying through when my phone rang inside the shop. I went to answer, and the next thing, the bakkie came past us. I got such a fright, I ran to the back of the shop until I realised what had happened," he says.
Kokkinidis says the lawn is usually packed with surfers and visitors, but for some reason, it was empty that morning.
According to the bakkie driver (29), who requested his name be withheld, the brakes failed as they were coming down the hill towards the beach. "I tried to brake, but it was gone. We were going very fast, at a crazy speed, but I tried to keep the vehicle under control," he said.
He says his first plan was to crash into the concrete bollards at the entrance to the lawn near the restaurant, but unfortunately, that didn't quite work out the way he planned.
"I thought we would stop if I hit the bollard, but we didn't. I then tried to control it so as not to hit the restaurant and drove into the showers," he told George Herald this week.
Without hitting any other vehicles or pedestrians, the bakkie crashed into the building, destroying it. No serious injuries or fatalities were reported.
Questioned about his injuries and whether he was OK, he said: "I'm not. I'm still in shock. We just wanted to treat some members of our congregation to the beach."
The driver said with him in the front was another person, and seven people were on the back of the bakkie.
However, this number is disputed by some eyewitnesses to the incident, some claiming it to be closer to 14. The exact total has yet to be determined.
Emergency services responded quickly, and some of the injured passengers were transported to the hospital.
Columbo is not impressed
Meanwhile, Columbo the elephant seal, who has been lazing on the beach at Victoria Bay for nearly two weeks, seemed less than amused by the commotion.
As the chaos unfolded on the hill above, the hefty beach resident reportedly let out a disgruntled bellow in protest.
"I was behind the backline and heard this weird noise coming from the beach. I didn't realise what it was, but when I got out, I saw it was Columbo. Then I noticed the destroyed showers and thought someone was busy with demolition," said a local surfer.
According to Val Marsh of the Stranded Marine Animal Rescue Team (Smart), who has been monitoring Columbo since his arrival on Vic Bay beach, he was visibly agitated for most of the day.
"The crash, the clean-up and the crowd on the beach upset him. It seems that high-pitched sounds like those of the machinery clearing the rubble and children shrieking on the beach upset him. He kept bellowing and making noises," she says.
Fortunately, by Monday, Columbo had calmed down again, and slept for most of the day.
Read a previous article: From hallelujah to hold on! Vic Bay brake failure jolts church outing
When they came out of the water, some surfers who were unaware of the crash thought the showers had been demolished. Photo: Smart‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
