Giraffe in Transport Killed After Low Bridge Accident

A giraffe suffered severe head trauma and died after smashing its head into a low bridge on Wednesday while being dangerously transported along a highway in South Africa.

South Africa's Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) told local media that the truck driver could face criminal charges.

Two giraffes were cruising along in an open-air truck on Garsfontein Road in Pretoria, South Africa when one of the towering creatures hit its head on a bridge (echoing a more comical scene from "The Hangover Part III"). One eyewitness who had pulled over to take a picture of the animals caught moments before the accident at 2:30 p.m. on camera.

"I pulled over just before the bridge and a few seconds after I took the photo the first giraffe hit its head on the bridge," Thinus Botha, 32, who took the photo, told MailOnline. "There was a loud bang and I saw blood coming from the nose of the giraffe."

Several horrified Twitter users posted their reactions to the incident.

"Look how low that bridge is and how tall the giraffes are," tweeted Pabi Moloi. "Who thought this one through? I wish I hadn't seen this."

@Itschydo added: "How was the giraffe supposed to know to duck its head?!"

The owner of the giraffes told a reporter for the national Citizen newspaper that the truck "went through lots of other bridges" before the accident and the giraffe had craned its neck.

But SPCA spokesman Rick Allan told eNews Channel Africa that the driver ignored South African Bureau of Standards (SABS) for transporting animals. When transporting giraffes on an open road, he said, it requires a specially designed container to cover their heads.

"All we can ascertain at this stage is severe head trauma. We are continuing our investigation with the view to possibly lay criminal charges against those responsible," Allan told Eyewitness News.

The driver confirmed the giraffe's death on Thursday.

It is also believed that the truck broke down soon after, leaving both giraffes stranded for hours.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, giraffes - which are the tallest land-dwelling animal - can reach heights between 16 and 18 feet tall. Its neck alone is six feet in length.