Skip to main content

Elephant impact

British holidaymarkers were lucky to avoid being killed when an elephant unexpectedly attacked their car. The pair were visiting the Kruger National Park in South Africa when their VW Polo car was first rammed and then flipped onto its roof by the enraged male elephant. One of the elephant’s tusks pierced the door of the car, seriously injuring the woman passenger and she was taken to hospital after the attack. She recovered from the injury however and was later able to leave after treatment.
March 27, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
British holidaymarkers were lucky to avoid being killed when an elephant unexpectedly attacked their car. The pair were visiting the Kruger National Park in South Africa when their VW Polo car was first rammed and then flipped onto its roof by the enraged male elephant. One of the elephant’s tusks pierced the door of the car, seriously injuring the woman passenger and she was taken to hospital after the attack. She recovered from the injury however and was later able to leave after treatment. The elephant was later shot and killed by rangers as it was thought to present a possible danger to other park visitors. Elephant attacks on cars are comparatively rare in South Africa’s game parks but although vehicles are designed to protect occupants in the event of a crash, they are not designed to deflect elephant tusks.

Related Content

  • US road safety concern at increasing fatalities
    September 2, 2016
    Concern has been expressed over the rise in road fatalities in the US. An analysis of road crash data has been called for in a bid to identify the primary causes of the increase in road deaths for 2015 compared with the previous year. During 2015 there were 35,092 road deaths in the US, a gain of 7.2% over the previous year. A combination of low fuel prices and a steady increase in the country’s economic activity have been known to be factors in the gain in road deaths. US citizens drove a record total dist
  • Switzerland’s new tunnel bore being built
    April 19, 2018
    A major new road tunnel project is being constructed in Switzerland – Mike Woof writes Construction work is now underway in Switzerland for the new Belchen Tunnel bore, a project that has resulted from the country’s long-term infrastructure planning. The building of this latest tunnel is important for Switzerland economically as it will deliver an upgraded link for a major transport infrastructure connection. When it is complete, the tunnel will form part of the vital A2 route between Basel, in the north
  • VIDEO: Freeway cycling is not for the faint hearted
    August 27, 2015
    Road designers and local authorities are getting much better at integrating roads for vehicles and cycle paths, tracks and lanes. But sometimes cyclist must take their chances on riding on a road with no designated cycle ways. Caution is essential for both cyclists and vehicle drivers, but in the end it will be the cyclist who is most likely to come off the worst in any crash. So why tempt fate, as the following news story and videos show.
  • Cannabis causes car crashes
    March 15, 2012
    Cannabis use poses a serious threat to road safety. A new report published by the British Medical Journal says that drivers who smoke cannabis within a three hour time frame before getting behind the wheel will double their risk of a serious crash.