Video: Driver dies in fiery crash as truck crosses N3 barrier

A container truck crossed the centre barrier on the N3 in Johannesburg on Wednesday, 11 November 2026, ploughed into oncoming traffic and caught fire, leaving one person dead and sending the afternoon commute into disarray, Joburg Etc reports.

The crash happened on the northbound carriageway between the Modderfontein and London Road off-ramps, a stretch that runs past Edenvale and Bedfordview and carries some of the heaviest freight traffic in Gauteng.

N3 near London Road/Edenvale, JHB.

Fire

WATCH: https://t.co/BPs2TVlX0k

Yusuf Abramjee (@Abramjee) November 11, 2026

What happened on the N3

According to posts shared by @Abramjee on X, the truck was travelling north when it veered across the median and landed up in the southbound lanes, where it collided with a panel van. The truck then burst into flames.

The truck driver died at the scene. The driver of the panel van, remarkably, walked away unharmed.

Anti-crime activist Yusuf Abramjee was among the first to share footage of the burning truck, posting a video with the caption ‘N3 near London Road/Edenvale, JHB. Fire.’ The clip, which shows thick black smoke rising over the highway, quickly spread across social media as commuters tried to work out whether their route home was still open.

Picture: @Abramjee / X

Road closures and alternative routes

By late afternoon, the northbound lanes of the N3 remained fully closed while emergency crews cleared the wreckage and investigators examined the scene. Southbound traffic was squeezed into a single lane, with motorists reporting delays stretching into hours.

Drivers heading north have been advised to use the M1, the R24, Pretoria Main Road or Modderfontein Road instead. Anyone travelling south should expect slow going past the scene and consider leaving later or finding another way around.

Traffic authorities have not yet said when the highway will fully reopen.

A stretch with a troubled history

This is not the first time a truck fire has closed the N3 through the East Rand. In 2014, a truck driver died after crashing into a bridge pillar near Van Buuren Road in Bedfordview, with the vehicle catching alight and four lanes shut for the recovery, as reported by The Citizen. In 2017, two people were killed in a crash and fire between the Marlboro and London Road off-ramps.

The N3 between the Gillooly’s Interchange and Marlboro is one of the busiest sections of highway in the country, linking Durban-bound freight with the M1, the R24 to OR Tambo International Airport and the N1. When something goes wrong here, the knock-on effect is felt across the city.

The cause of the crash has not been confirmed and it remains unclear whether a mechanical fault, driver fatigue or another factor sent the truck across the barrier. The driver’s identity has also not been released.

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