Astonishing footage captures a huge elephant crush a pick-up truck bonnet after charging at the vehicle.
The driver Norman Nukeri, 47, “feared for his life” after the animal strode towards his truck in Klasirie Private Nature Reserve in South Africa.
The elephant managed to push the 2.5-tonne Toyota and its fuel-filled trailer backwards along a dirt track on Tuesday.
Dashcam footage shows the creature charge the car head-on, leaving Norman frozen still with fear and unable to say a word.
Once the elephant leaves the scene, the shell-shocked driver recalls he was too scared to leave the vehicle and only felt safe once rangers from the nature reserve arrived.
(Image: Kennedy News/Bosbok Gas)
The starling dashcam video has since gone viral across social media platforms.
Norman, a fuel-supply driver who was travelling through the reserve to a client’s lodge, said today: “I stopped when I saw the elephants in the distance then the other one appeared from my left. I hit the truck and it went away so I was relieved but then it came back again.
“It came straight at me and pushed the truck. I just thought to hold the brake and pull the handbrake up. I was so scared. I didn’t move because I was just in shock.
“I thought it could have been a life-threatening situation. I was scared that he was going to push the truck into the river. I didn’t know what was going to happen to me. I was fearing for my life.”
(Image: Kennedy News/Bosbok Gas)
The man, from Hoedspruit, South Africa, will have to pay £750 to have the truck mended after it suffered extensive damage to the bonnet and rear.
Norman added: “I was worried that it was going to come back again so I called the office and didn’t want to get out of the vehicle. I only felt safe when the rangers came. I was so relieved.
“I’m happy it’s over, but I’m going back to the same spot today. I’m going to drive the big truck instead though. I’ll be very wary from now on.
“It’s a one in a million thing to happen. I don’t think many people have experienced that. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
Nathan Traut, the marketing and operations manager at Norman’s firm Bosbok Gas, expressed his relief that his ‘top driver’ Normal survived unscathed and added that the company director even took him for drinks after the incident to calm his nerves.
Nathan said: “We’re very relieved he’s okay because he’s our main driver! When he called he was very out of breath. We went to fetch him after the incident, but Norman didn’t drive.
“When you look at the video of him in the truck and you look at his t-shirt you can see his heart pounding. He was shell-shocked for a day or two afterwards.
“When we came back to town the director took him out and had a couple of drinks with him to relax.”