[HILLCREST - 17 JANUARY 2012 AT 05H00]

A passenger has been killed and the truck driver is in a critical condition after the truck that was carrying cars over turned on the N3 Durban bound near Peacevale this morning.

ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene and found the truck lying on its side and the cars it was carrying scattered across the freeway and down an embankment.

The driver and passenger were both found outside of the cabin. The patients were assessed and found that the passenger had sustained fatal injuries and was declared deceased on scene. The driver had sustained traumatic injuries to his arm and suspected neck and back injuries. Advanced Life Support intervention was performed on the patient before he was transported to RK Khans Hospital for further medical intervention.

It is believed that the truck was travelling down the N3 towards Pietermaritzburg when the driver is believed to have lost control in the wet weather and went over the Armco barrier onto the Durban bound carriage way.

The local authorities will be investigating the incident further.

Derrick Banks, ER24

The Herald Newspaper reports that a truck driver who was eating behind the wheel caused mayhem when he skipped a stop- go point at road works and crashed into 7 cars.

This horrific accident claimed the lives of 4 people and injured another 9. A police spokesperson reported that the trick was carrying 35 tons of flour from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth when it crashed into the stationary vehicles at the Stop-go point.

The truck driver has allegedly said that he did not see the 3 warning flags as he was eating at the time while driving..

A case of culpable homicide is investigated and the driver has been detained.

Also view:

Avoiding Distractions while driving

Road Safety at Construction Zones

A man has been killed while an 18 year old mother is in a critical condition, and her son and the driver of a truck have been left with minor injuries after a head on collision between a bakkie and a truck occurred this afternoon on the R40 in the direction of Hazey View.

The incident happened on a blind rise, where one of the vehicles may have not been in their correct lane leading to the forceful impact of the head on collision. ER24 Paramedics from the Nelspruit base responded to the incident and commented that there was almost nothing left of the front of the double cab bakkie. The driver, a 40 year old man, did not survive the injuries that he had sustained in the accident, and he was declared dead at the scene. The 18 year old mother needed immediate Advanced Life Support treatment, while her baby, an 18 month old little boy, was strapped firmly into his car seat. The baby was thoroughly assessed for injuries but luckily had only sustained minor cuts and bruises. He and his mother were taken by ambulance to Mediclinic Nelspruit for further care.

The truck caught alight a while after the accident, and some of the parts even exploded due to the heat. Fortunately the driver, and only occupant of the truck, had already removed himself from the damaged vehicle and he too was treated for minor injuries before being taken to Rob Fereirra Hospital for treatment.

The cause of the head on collision will form part of the police investigation.

Vanessa Jackson, ER24

One man has sustained some injuries earlier this morning when the vehicle he was traveling in collided with a truck on Prince George drive.

The cause of the collision is still unknown, but a truck transporting a cargo of gravel had allegedly veered out of control before jack-knifing and overturning onto its side. The collision had resulted in tons of gravel being strewn onto the intersection. A vehicle had then collided into the truck.

When ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene they found a single driver still in the vehicle. The man was carefully extricated from the vehicle and immobilised onto a special board. The patient then received treatment for severe facial trauma and a suspected back and neck injury. He was later transported to Mediclinic Constantiaberg for further medical care.

Local law enforcement authorities who attended the scene will be investigating the incident further.

Andre Visser, ER24

A truck driver is in a serious condition after he lost control his vehicle and went off the N3 Durban bound just past Shongweni and down an embankment landing on its roof, entrapping the driver inside this afternoon.

ER24 paramedics from Hillcrest, the Fire Department and SAPS Search and Rescue were the first to arrive on the scene. From the road side they could see the articulated truck lying upside down and could hear screams of help coming from the cabin of the truck. Emergency personnel made their way down very carefully with rescue and medical equipment. The driver was mechanically entrapped and the Jaws of Life and other hydraulic equipment were used to extricate the patient from the vehicle. Advanced Life Support intervention was used to stabilise the patient further as it was suspected he may have suffered a head injury and possible neck and back injuries. Once freed the patient was placed in a specialised basket and carried up the embankment by the emergency personnel. The patient was transported to Hillcrest Private Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

It is believed that the driver lost control due to a possible mechanical problem and was not able to keep the vehicle on the road. The driver veered off the road and down the embankment. The local authorities were on the scene and would investigate the accident further.

Derrick Banks, ER24

The cause of the collision is still unknown, but it seems that the truck had lost control before jack-knifing and leaving the highway. The truck then collided with trees next to the road.

When ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene they could see that the collision was severe judging by the amount of damage sustained to the truck’s driver’s compartment. The trees had impaled the driver’s cab and had entrapped the single male occupant in the vehicle. The local fire department and multiple other rescue services used specialised hydraulic rescue equipment to cut the vehicle in order to free the injured man.

The man had sustained severe injuries to his lower extremities in the form of fractures as well as suspected back, neck and chest injuries. Due the injuries sustained and the distance to the nearest appropriate medical facility, on-scene paramedics promptly dispatched a medical helicopter to the scene.

The man was treated and stabilized at the scene before being airlifted to hospital. Local law enforcement authorities who attended the scene will be investigating the incident further.

Andre Visser, ER24

A man has sustained severe injuries this morning after falling out of an enclosed trailer of a furniture removal truck whilst moving at speed.

The exact cause of the incident is still unknown, but the 42 year old male had fallen onto the road sustaining severe injuries. The man then became entangled in his own clothing before coming to a standstill in the middle of the road. When ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene they found the man still lying in the road surrounded by concerned bystanders.

The patient had sustained severe injuries to his head. Paramedics had to administer Advanced Life Support in order to stabilise the patient. Due the injuries sustained and the distance to the nearest appropriate medical facility on-scene paramedics promptly dispatched the ER24 Discovery Medicopter to the scene.

The man was then stabilised before being airlifted to Mediclinic Cape Gate for further medical care. Local law enforcement authorities who attended the scene will be investigating the incident further.

Andre Visser, ER24

Two articulated trucks collided into one another on the N3 Durban bound between Market Road and Ashburton just out Pietermaritzburg in the early parts of yesterday evening.

ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene and found one articulated truck had crashed through the Armco barrier and had come to rest in the centre medium, facing oncoming traffic. The cabin of this truck had extensive damage to the front. The second truck was found about 50m down the N3 in the emergency lane. It had damage to the right side of the trailer.

The driver and passenger of the truck that had crashed through the Armco barrier were found walking around on scene, were extremely lucky that they were unharmed in the accident. The driver of the second truck was also unharmed in the accident.

The necessary authorities will be investigating the accident but traffic was affected in both directions for a short period of time until the salvaging of the one truck was done.

Derrick Banks, ER24

Paramedics prepared themselves for the worst, as the initial visual they had of the accident looked severe. The truck had rolled onto the side of the road, landing in a field, while the car was extensively damaged on its front end, with car parts scattered across the road.

Fortunately the woman in the car and 3 men who were in the truck suffered minor to moderate injuries only and they were treated accordingly on scene before being taken to a nearby hospital.

The road was closed until 09:30 for clean up operations.

Vanessa Jackson, ER24

Snow in Johannesburg? You had better believe it. The sudden dip in temperatures had wreaked havoc on the roads, especially in the South of Johannesburg over the lunch period.

Fortunately only one person needed to be taken to hospital after 4 accidents happened in the space of 30 minutes.

The ER24 Johannesburg South crews were dispatched to an accident in Meredale on Margaret Road and they chose to travel along the N12. As they were responding, they came across an accident between the Kliprivier and Xavier road exits. Two cars had crashed into each other, possibly due to the wet and now icy roads due to the sleet/snow that was falling from the sky. A 32 year old man had knocked his head and was taken to the Mulbarton Hospital for further treatement.

As the paramedics were loading the man into the ambulance they saw another accident happen, maybe 500 meters from where they were now stationary. They immediately activated another ambulance to the scene where a bakkie and car had collided. Fortunately when paramedics arrived at the incident, they immediately determined that no one had been injured and the patients removed themselves privately from the scene.

As they were finishing up at the scene, they were dispatched to another accident at the corners of Rifle Range and Swartkoppies.(see photos) A Mazda 2 and Toyota Yaris were involved in a bumper-bashing. Again the cause is believed to have been due to the slippery road surfaces due to the weather. One lady had cut her lip open, but all of the patients decided that they would not require further medical care and left the scene privately.

It was later determined by another crew that was dispatched to the scene of the first accident shortly before 1pm in Meredale that there too had been no injuries reported at the scene.

Motorists are urged to use extreme caution when driving around in these weather conditions. Maintain a safe driving an breaking distance and reduce your speed considerably to avoid being involved in a collision.

Vanessa Jackson, ER24