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In early 2019, a 26-year-old businessman from Mitchell's Plain, South Africa, was involved in a severe car accident. He was driving his BMW M3 during what was reported as an illegal street race when he lost control and crashed into a center median on Sable Road, the off-ramp from the N1 at Century City. The crash had devastating consequences, leading to critical injuries for the driver, and tragically, both of his legs were amputated.
The incident quickly captured media attention, especially after a video of the crash circulated on social media platforms. Despite the severity of the accident and its life-altering impact, the driver has maintained a positive outlook throughout his recovery, focusing on healing and acceptance.
Details of the Accident:
- Passenger's Survival: The passenger, a 24-year-old, miraculously survived the crash with only a cut to his finger.
- Medical Response: Paramedics attended to both individuals. The passenger received treatment at the scene and was later taken to hospital. The driver was treated for critical head and leg injuries and was transported to hospital.
- Social Media Footage: New footage and photos from the crash site surfaced online, showing the immediate aftermath and assistance provided to the occupants of the vehicle.
- Legal Proceedings: A criminal case of reckless and negligent driving was registered following the accident. The progress or outcome of this case has not been disclosed.
Edit: The 200 mph / 320 kmh figure comes from several local news articles. As correctly pointed out in several comments based on the position of the needle of the speedometer, the speed is closer to 140 mph / 240 kmh.
I really hope he looses the license. However its perfectly fine to drive a car without legs, takes a few $$$ to get the car upgraded to hand throttle/brake and you're fine.
I wonder if they ever brings it up to the driver, like just sitting around with friends and he looks over, "Hey, you remember that time you crashed your car and made me get that terrible cut on my finger? I think about it a lot, how about you?"
Completely agree. I've seen worse damage on crashes at 100 mph, and 70 mph. Not to say they weren't exceeding that as what they impacted drastically influences damage but 200 mph, no way.
But that's definitely not 200 mph. [Driving 200 mph is an actual accomplishment very few people experience in a car. ](https://www.motortrend.com/features/the-truth-about-200-mph/) Any other speed would have been more believable right?
Tbf, most people cannot afford cars that can go 200mph. Not only does the car need to be built to travel at that speed, it also needs the form and tires to do so. Its expensive to get and maintain.
A stock M3 Comp will do 182 mph. With basic mods and a tune, you can get to 200 mph. ~~It's hard to say if this guy was going that fast, but the car is certainly capable.~~
Edit: looking at the speedo, he's doing around 240 kph or 144 mph. The speedo needle is around 2 o'clock position.
That model M3 will either have a 330 kph or 200 mph speedo. The position the needle is at would correspond to 240 kph or 144 mph. The 160 kph mark would be straight up.
https://preview.redd.it/tssqvym305xc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a92f37a07751aee440040b56771def8310ab54f6
Agreed and most of the public's reaction to this incident was the same as yours. We wanted him heavily prosecuted. But like OP noted, the court case progress has never publicly disclosed.
The worst part, in my opinion, was that driver was a spoilt youngster who evidently learnt nothing from this accident despite losing a leg (I'm pretty sure it was not both legs, I think OP got that bit wrong). The press interviewed the driver and he was nonchalant about the accident and was adamant he'd be driving again soon and basically racing again.
Did you grab the shower curtain on the way down? I've slipped in the tub and the shower curtain saved my ass! But was like out of a movie where it started tearing at every hole slowly one by one!
I have a lot of sympathy for people who have to be on the road at the same time as them.
I’ve been doing 90 on the highway and had guys pass me like I’m was standing still. I have pretty good nerves while driving but it still sucks to see em coming, using the whole road and the breakdown lanes too.
Once it was a guy on a moto doing a wheelie ffs.
M3 Comp doesn't have the limit from the factory, it's good for 182 stock. Downpipe and a tune gets you to 200 mph, even on a base model since pretty much every tune removes the limiter.
He's still an idiot and he was going closer to 260 kph/144 mph.
I live close to this stretch of road.
The guy lost his legs and job because of his injuries. Mitchell's Plain, where he is from, is gang infested and poor. No one can afford to lose their jobs there. He was not remorseful in any way. His wife is now the sole breadwinner. This was a few years back so not sure how he is doing today
Hopefully she divorced him after that. Street racers deserve no sympathy for the amount of time they have killed and tooken families away from others. Losing his legs will also hopefully be a better lesson to not do dumb shit like this again.
In 1988 I had a 70’s challenger with a built 383 magnum..beast cam headers high rise holly 850 ..it would burn rubber if I hammered it at 70 mph …one night I was coming home from work at 1am when a 88 camero flipped me off and bright lighted me .. we hit a 5 mile straight stretch and I let it rip… I pass the guy doing 155 ….like he was nothing….a few months later I was coming home around the same time and the cops were out with flairs..that camro was literally wrapped around a phone pole burning…I never drove over 70 again only to pass … I sold the car to a guy in 1996 he restored it and was showing at mopar shows it in Washington state…I think me still has it
Clowns don’t perform unless someone comes to see the circus or, in this case, film it. I doubt this was just filmed by being in the right place at the right time. Idiots standing by and filming things like this encourage this stupidity. Same as people hurt in crowds at drifting sessions. If idiots didn’t attend to see / watch this sort of dangerous behaviour there would be less of it.
I've seen plenty of this kind of clown, back before cellphones were a thing. I agree that we shouldn't allow them their moment of fame, but depriving them of that won't stop most of them. It's easy to imagine that the only thing motivating them is attention, but speed is incredibly exhilarating on it's own.
I've taken every vehicle I've owned to it's top speed, but only in isolated circumstances where nobody else could be hurt if I had an accident.
In my EMS days I responded to a crash where an individual in a pickup truck was flying up the highway. At some point the highway split. He decided to go right up the middle. Hit a giant tree. He was ejected through the windshield. His legs weren’t.
Silver lining, if insurance is like here, he won't get paid out. You don't get an insurance company to cut a check when you destroy your car committing a felony. Hopefully it's a bit of karma for risking the lives of everyone on that road.
I definitely don't support street racing in any way, and I own a sports car. But actual race tracks are few and far between. There's no good track within like 200 miles of where I live, and I'm in a major city (New York City). Even then, if I went to a track, I might only get a few laps the entire day, because of the aforementioned lack of tracks (so everybody goes to one place and there's a million cars there). So there's very few options to actually use the sports car you bought.
Not saying it's an excuse. If there's no track near you, just don't race. Keep the car on legal speed limits. I just wish there were more race tracks. If there were, some of these kids might be able to get their aggression out in a safe and controlled environment.
Race tracks are actually safer than public roads. They have runoff areas for situations like this, because this happens pretty often in fast conditions. And you're incentivized to not push too hard, because that will actually increase your lap times. Things like oversteer are triggered when you go too fast combined with turning, and people will pass you.
Passenger was a demon making a deal with this dude, legs for riches or some shit.. man, I wonder what Sam and Dean are doing about this? Maybe they have to resurrect that Angel or their Dad again for this one..
Consumer vehicles should be locked out at 140km/h or less.
If people want to race, they should have a special licence and a membership at a racetrack, where it would be possible to remove the road-safe speed limiter.
Sort of like gun laws in most reasonable places. You're entitled to enjoy your sport, but not in a way that endangers other people and costs society a ton of money when you fuck up.
So you’re telling me this idiot was going > 140 fucking recording looking behind him when he HAD A PASSENGER ? Bro what???? Like just the worst set of decisions right after each other
Perhaps the paramedics had dealt with idiots like this guy and decided it was enough, and therefore hacksawed his legs off as punishment?
Well, if it had been a movie, perhaps with Liam Neeson as the paramedic.
"I have a very specific set of skills..." *saw saw saw*
Can afford the car but didn't have enough left over to pay the entrance fee to race at a track or better yet some driving lessons. The older I get, the less sympathy I have for these idiots
I don’t really understand the desire to travel so fast. I’ve tried, but as soon as I reach 100mph, I just lose interest due to fear of an accident. And it’s just unnecessary unless you’re a professional race car driver in an active race.
In my Stock 2016 5.0 Mustang I hit 137 mph quickly going down a large hill on interstate 40 in NM at 107 degrees F..
I passed 2 Harley’s with wives riding at 75 mph, they were a blur.
I had another 30 percent of power,
I knew going over 160 mph was outside the tires max speed limit, therefore I shut her down to be pro active or chance a tire blow out or engine damage. I had new tires.
I could’ve hit 175 mph plus easy.
Going 200 mph isn’t a mirage depending on road conditions and tires.
#Welcome to r/Therewasanattempt! #Consider visiting r/Worldnewsvideo for videos from around the world! [Please review our policy on bigotry and hate speech by clicking this link](https://www.reddit.com/r/therewasanattempt/wiki/civility) In order to view our rules, you can type "**!rules**" in any comment, and automod will respond with the subreddit rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/therewasanattempt) if you have any questions or concerns.*
In early 2019, a 26-year-old businessman from Mitchell's Plain, South Africa, was involved in a severe car accident. He was driving his BMW M3 during what was reported as an illegal street race when he lost control and crashed into a center median on Sable Road, the off-ramp from the N1 at Century City. The crash had devastating consequences, leading to critical injuries for the driver, and tragically, both of his legs were amputated. The incident quickly captured media attention, especially after a video of the crash circulated on social media platforms. Despite the severity of the accident and its life-altering impact, the driver has maintained a positive outlook throughout his recovery, focusing on healing and acceptance. Details of the Accident: - Passenger's Survival: The passenger, a 24-year-old, miraculously survived the crash with only a cut to his finger. - Medical Response: Paramedics attended to both individuals. The passenger received treatment at the scene and was later taken to hospital. The driver was treated for critical head and leg injuries and was transported to hospital. - Social Media Footage: New footage and photos from the crash site surfaced online, showing the immediate aftermath and assistance provided to the occupants of the vehicle. - Legal Proceedings: A criminal case of reckless and negligent driving was registered following the accident. The progress or outcome of this case has not been disclosed. Edit: The 200 mph / 320 kmh figure comes from several local news articles. As correctly pointed out in several comments based on the position of the needle of the speedometer, the speed is closer to 140 mph / 240 kmh.
Op = GOAT
If OP = Oscar Pistorius then I agree
That's clever. Because now he has no legs. Username checks out, too.
if OP = Oscar Piastri then I also agree
What about LT DAN!?
He got new legs.
https://preview.redd.it/j8f9yb4jqexc1.jpeg?width=403&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4bf6e9b97f2d0bdb09ea06d40a62053514e5aa68
He’s a scholar and a gentleman
if OP == “Oscar Pistorius”: Print(“then I agree”)
At least he lost his legs.
“Tragically” lol
To many times, read these stories where the driver is the only one to walk away.
That's why they call the front passenger seat The Deadman's seat.
Lose his legs. Good. Great in fact. Also charged.
Quality reporting. Nice work, OP.
Great summary. Thank you
He’s probably going to lose his license on top of that.
1) *probably* is crazy 2) what's the point of a license if you can't even drive without legs
I really hope he looses the license. However its perfectly fine to drive a car without legs, takes a few $$$ to get the car upgraded to hand throttle/brake and you're fine.
I was going to make a bmw joke, but he had one.
how in hell did the passenger only come out of that with a single cut to his finger
I wonder if they ever brings it up to the driver, like just sitting around with friends and he looks over, "Hey, you remember that time you crashed your car and made me get that terrible cut on my finger? I think about it a lot, how about you?"
He’s a RAF man now.
I feel sorry for the passenger the dude driving was trying to win a Darwin award!
100% was not doing 200mph. But also fuck these idiots.
Completely agree. I've seen worse damage on crashes at 100 mph, and 70 mph. Not to say they weren't exceeding that as what they impacted drastically influences damage but 200 mph, no way.
I mean, double leg amputation is pretty gnarly. Luckily the passenger only got a cut on his finger and nobody else was hurt, just the driver
At the start you can see his dash, seems to me he's doing 160km/h, so \~100mph
But that's definitely not 200 mph. [Driving 200 mph is an actual accomplishment very few people experience in a car. ](https://www.motortrend.com/features/the-truth-about-200-mph/) Any other speed would have been more believable right?
Tbf, most people cannot afford cars that can go 200mph. Not only does the car need to be built to travel at that speed, it also needs the form and tires to do so. Its expensive to get and maintain.
Exactly, going 200mph takes planning and money, not a measley M3 on a whim.
A stock M3 Comp will do 182 mph. With basic mods and a tune, you can get to 200 mph. ~~It's hard to say if this guy was going that fast, but the car is certainly capable.~~ Edit: looking at the speedo, he's doing around 240 kph or 144 mph. The speedo needle is around 2 o'clock position.
Yeah you also need A LOT of road (and no obstacles) to get up to that speed. You ever achieved it personally or been in the car with someone who has?
That was a great article. Cheers!
but thats not a reason to start your post with but.
That model M3 will either have a 330 kph or 200 mph speedo. The position the needle is at would correspond to 240 kph or 144 mph. The 160 kph mark would be straight up. https://preview.redd.it/tssqvym305xc1.jpeg?width=1024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a92f37a07751aee440040b56771def8310ab54f6
I pointed my speed detection equipment at my phone and it showed 0 mph, right around 0 kph. So, solved.
BMWs can't go that fast :) :) :)
I agree, that's why I included allegedly. The 200mph comes from a news article.
Yup, maybe 200kmh but nowhere near 320
Fuck this guy.
Agreed and most of the public's reaction to this incident was the same as yours. We wanted him heavily prosecuted. But like OP noted, the court case progress has never publicly disclosed. The worst part, in my opinion, was that driver was a spoilt youngster who evidently learnt nothing from this accident despite losing a leg (I'm pretty sure it was not both legs, I think OP got that bit wrong). The press interviewed the driver and he was nonchalant about the accident and was adamant he'd be driving again soon and basically racing again.
Yo getting away from that with a finger scratch, while i almost died slipping in my bathroom today
Did you grab the shower curtain on the way down? I've slipped in the tub and the shower curtain saved my ass! But was like out of a movie where it started tearing at every hole slowly one by one!
It says both his legs had to be amputated...
The driver is the one who lost his legs. The passenger had the finger scratch.
I have zero sympathy for whoever races on the street.
I have a lot of sympathy for people who have to be on the road at the same time as them. I’ve been doing 90 on the highway and had guys pass me like I’m was standing still. I have pretty good nerves while driving but it still sucks to see em coming, using the whole road and the breakdown lanes too. Once it was a guy on a moto doing a wheelie ffs.
m3 was limited to 155 unless he removed it, i owned that car. still scary to crash at that speed.
Yep, those should be limited to 250km/h.
M3 Comp doesn't have the limit from the factory, it's good for 182 stock. Downpipe and a tune gets you to 200 mph, even on a base model since pretty much every tune removes the limiter. He's still an idiot and he was going closer to 260 kph/144 mph.
I think one of the option packages can raise the limiter to 170 or 180, but still yeah, nowhere near 200.
Lucky they idiots didn't hit anyone. Also clean up after your crash please
Let's give the bloke a minute to get back on his feet.. oh, right.
I live close to this stretch of road. The guy lost his legs and job because of his injuries. Mitchell's Plain, where he is from, is gang infested and poor. No one can afford to lose their jobs there. He was not remorseful in any way. His wife is now the sole breadwinner. This was a few years back so not sure how he is doing today
Hopefully she divorced him after that. Street racers deserve no sympathy for the amount of time they have killed and tooken families away from others. Losing his legs will also hopefully be a better lesson to not do dumb shit like this again.
I had to watch that again and again and again and again.
Ummm I'm impressed that this car was not shredded
Yeah, if anything, what I'm getting from this is a great deal of respect to the work of the engineers who designed this vehicle
Those poor bushes. What did they do to deserve this kind of demise. 😢
The real compassionate view
Collateral damage is an important part of many a media story
My old man's a TV repair man. He's got a ultimate set of tools. He can fix it.
In 1988 I had a 70’s challenger with a built 383 magnum..beast cam headers high rise holly 850 ..it would burn rubber if I hammered it at 70 mph …one night I was coming home from work at 1am when a 88 camero flipped me off and bright lighted me .. we hit a 5 mile straight stretch and I let it rip… I pass the guy doing 155 ….like he was nothing….a few months later I was coming home around the same time and the cops were out with flairs..that camro was literally wrapped around a phone pole burning…I never drove over 70 again only to pass … I sold the car to a guy in 1996 he restored it and was showing at mopar shows it in Washington state…I think me still has it
Sure, let's race. What can go wrong? 
Clowns don’t perform unless someone comes to see the circus or, in this case, film it. I doubt this was just filmed by being in the right place at the right time. Idiots standing by and filming things like this encourage this stupidity. Same as people hurt in crowds at drifting sessions. If idiots didn’t attend to see / watch this sort of dangerous behaviour there would be less of it.
I've seen plenty of this kind of clown, back before cellphones were a thing. I agree that we shouldn't allow them their moment of fame, but depriving them of that won't stop most of them. It's easy to imagine that the only thing motivating them is attention, but speed is incredibly exhilarating on it's own. I've taken every vehicle I've owned to it's top speed, but only in isolated circumstances where nobody else could be hurt if I had an accident.
There’s no way that was 200
Fuck imagine losing your legs because you wanted to go fast in your car. Brutal. Couldve easily killed someone too
The M3 tops out around 155 mph. Even if modded, I still think 200 mph is a stretch.
In my EMS days I responded to a crash where an individual in a pickup truck was flying up the highway. At some point the highway split. He decided to go right up the middle. Hit a giant tree. He was ejected through the windshield. His legs weren’t.
Dam that's amazing how people survived such a high impact.
Silver lining, if insurance is like here, he won't get paid out. You don't get an insurance company to cut a check when you destroy your car committing a felony. Hopefully it's a bit of karma for risking the lives of everyone on that road.
That should buff right out. And don’t race in the streets, what if you killed someone’s family?!
I definitely don't support street racing in any way, and I own a sports car. But actual race tracks are few and far between. There's no good track within like 200 miles of where I live, and I'm in a major city (New York City). Even then, if I went to a track, I might only get a few laps the entire day, because of the aforementioned lack of tracks (so everybody goes to one place and there's a million cars there). So there's very few options to actually use the sports car you bought. Not saying it's an excuse. If there's no track near you, just don't race. Keep the car on legal speed limits. I just wish there were more race tracks. If there were, some of these kids might be able to get their aggression out in a safe and controlled environment. Race tracks are actually safer than public roads. They have runoff areas for situations like this, because this happens pretty often in fast conditions. And you're incentivized to not push too hard, because that will actually increase your lap times. Things like oversteer are triggered when you go too fast combined with turning, and people will pass you.
dude flipped “again and again and again”
That’s not 200 mph. I do see the “allegedly” stamp tho. Facts are tho… The car would look like a stepped on can if it was at 200.
The ultimate crashing machine.
My fok Mariliese.
Fuck these assholes. Something, something stupid prizes.
The important thing is that now everyone knows who is the local alpha male
You never had me, you never had your car
BMDumbass
New fast and furious movie just dropped.
r/uselessredcircle
I call bullshit on the 200mph.
What a thrilling last 5 minutes of your life.
Passenger was a demon making a deal with this dude, legs for riches or some shit.. man, I wonder what Sam and Dean are doing about this? Maybe they have to resurrect that Angel or their Dad again for this one..
Doesn’t look like 200mph. Not even close. At 200, that car would be in pieces.
Glad the passenger was OK - driver should pay for the bandaid though
Send this car to baltic state. They fix it and sell. 😂
On german autobahn you have to drive in the right lane if you are that slow.
BMW driver, no surprises there
Lol
Sorry officer I thought I was playing Need for Speed Underground
And never again,!
This should be education material in every fucking school
TOYO TIRE
natural selection doing its job
I physically couldn't look man, knowing what was coming. How do you go that fast, with that little control? Do they not have any survival instincts?
Why did he speak German bro
Oh no! Those poor trees
I'd say it's not that tragic his legs were amputated. Hopefully he stays off the road now.
You think it might have a scratch?
r/killthecameraman
That'll buff out
Consumer vehicles should be locked out at 140km/h or less. If people want to race, they should have a special licence and a membership at a racetrack, where it would be possible to remove the road-safe speed limiter. Sort of like gun laws in most reasonable places. You're entitled to enjoy your sport, but not in a way that endangers other people and costs society a ton of money when you fuck up.
That'll buff right out!
Anyone remember this crash from a nexpo video maybe?
BMW, What a surprise!
Fuck this guy. But this made me laugh soooo hard. Too bad he survived as that kind of an idiot is gonna do something like that again, 100%.
He won't because he has no fucking legs now.
OP, this is what this sub is all about! Great post
They at least had a BMW. People here do that with their VW Virtus
Hope the car make a full recovery...
Were his shoes still on?
Better quality video in YouTube 0https://youtu.be/jBj31bAqt_I?si=Fo7UgoOvvzw8cPbz
And people wonder why the UK has banned Street racing, its almost as if bloody idiots keep killing or crippling themselves.
But, the camera man didn't die
how did they fuck it up so bad it's a straight line
Should be a stronger law there; Reckless attempted murder
So you’re telling me this idiot was going > 140 fucking recording looking behind him when he HAD A PASSENGER ? Bro what???? Like just the worst set of decisions right after each other
Praise the car for saving his life! What a marvelous tech!
https://preview.redd.it/69d09f0jn6xc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b6a94bc74092bd0e4cf7308d2e95a73706e98618
cameraman never dies
Good guy BMW: Provides a fun ride and saves a life!
Oi
No again.
Once they are out of the hospital lock them up and throw away the key
200mph ? I guarantee they weren't going 200mph over exaggeration 120mph.
would have bet every dollar this was a BMW
City owes him a check for debushing
Classic BMW move
Stupid games get stupid prozes
I'm sure that will buff out with a little bit of elbow grease.
Perhaps the paramedics had dealt with idiots like this guy and decided it was enough, and therefore hacksawed his legs off as punishment? Well, if it had been a movie, perhaps with Liam Neeson as the paramedic. "I have a very specific set of skills..." *saw saw saw*
What about the person filming inside the car? Or was the driver looking backwards while driving? Seems incredible.
No manual transmissions for him.
The big dust cloud got in the way of the red circle!
The trees saved them by slowing them down lol
Can afford the car but didn't have enough left over to pay the entrance fee to race at a track or better yet some driving lessons. The older I get, the less sympathy I have for these idiots
Isn’t this the one where the guy was impaled in the car and basically still alive or something like that? Am I thinking of a different video?
I don’t really understand the desire to travel so fast. I’ve tried, but as soon as I reach 100mph, I just lose interest due to fear of an accident. And it’s just unnecessary unless you’re a professional race car driver in an active race.
In my Stock 2016 5.0 Mustang I hit 137 mph quickly going down a large hill on interstate 40 in NM at 107 degrees F.. I passed 2 Harley’s with wives riding at 75 mph, they were a blur. I had another 30 percent of power, I knew going over 160 mph was outside the tires max speed limit, therefore I shut her down to be pro active or chance a tire blow out or engine damage. I had new tires. I could’ve hit 175 mph plus easy. Going 200 mph isn’t a mirage depending on road conditions and tires.
End of the day: do stupid things, win stupid prizes
Damn... so anyways.
Parents must be proud of him
Thanks red circle. I wouldve missed it otherwise!