Paramedics from the ER24 Polokwane base rushed to the scene of a terrible accident approximately 20 kilometers south of Polokwane itself on the R101. Two vehicles had collided head on and both vehicles were found at the side of the road, crumpled as a result of the impact.

A man and a woman had both died at the scene; they had been the front occupants of a Toyota Tazz that looked like it had been shredded in the front. One of the rear occupants sustained critical injuries, while the fourth occupant of the Tazz was treated for moderate injuries. Fire and Rescue workers needed to use the Jaws of Life to cut away at the wrecked hatchback in order to free the occupants.

The single cab Mazda Drifter was found just behind the Tazz. It too was extensively damaged, but fortunately for the 2 occupants, their injuries were only moderate and they were treated accordingly on scene before being taken by ambulance, along with the two rear seat passengers of the Tazz, to medical facilities in the surrounding area.

Paramedics explained that the bakkie had been transporting bags of meat, which was found strewn across the accident scene.

The cause of the accident is unknown and police who attended the scene will perform all necessary investigations.

Vanessa Jackson, ER24

Two accidents between 19:00 and 21:00 in the Eastern areas of Johannesburg has left 2 dead and another 3 with various injuries.

The first if the two accidents happened on Elgin Road in Kempton Park where two vehicles collided head on. The cause of the accident is not known, but the 51 year old woman driving the one vehicle sustained critical injuries as a result from the impact. When paramedics arrived at the scene, they immediately started resuscitation efforts on the woman, but her condition deteriorated further and despite all of their efforts the woman died at the scene. The woman was the only occupant of her vehicle at the time of the accident. The driver and only occupant of the second vehicle involved suffered minor injuries only and was assessed by paramedics at the scene and treated accordingly.

The second incident, shortly before 9pm, happened on the R42 between Heidelberg and Nigel. A single vehicle accident occurred in which the driver lost control of the vehicle for some reason and it left the road and rolled into a field. All 3 occupants of the vehicle were ejected, and sadly one of the occupants did not survive his injuries, and the 32 year old man was declared dead at the scene. The other two men had sustained relatively serious injuries but were in a stable condition. They were taken to a nearby hospital for further care.

Vanessa Jackson, ER24

A residence at the corners of Frikkie Meyer and Beethoven Streets in Vanderbijlpark has had to rebuild the wall outside of their property countless times. Because of the sharp bend in the road, it seems that motorists misjudge the corner and they are not able to correct in time and they collide straight into the wall.

At around 3am, the ER24 Vanderbijlpark crews were called out to assist with 4 people who were injured after their car crashed into the wall. The front passenger had borne the brunt of the impact and had suffered serious injuries. The Emfuleni Fire and Rescue Workers needed to cut the car door off its hinges in order to get the patient out. Along with the driver, who had suffered minor injuries, paramedics treated both men in their 20′s on scene and transported them to Sebokeng Hospital.

The two rear seat occupants were taken to Mediclinic Emfuleni after being treated for their injuries. The woman in her 20′s, had suffered a possible broken arm, while the 16 year old boy had relatively severe facial injuries. They were both however, stable and alert throughout treatment and transportation.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

Vanessa Jackson, ER24

It seems that the first container truck was stationary in the emergency lane of the highway and the second truck came past in the slow lane. The driver may have miss judged the distance he had for moving past the stationary truck and the left passenger side collided onto the back of the stationary truck. ER24 Paramedics who arrived at the scene said that the entire left side of the cabin was ripped open and the passenger was entrapped inside the mangled metal.

He was already in a critical condition and paramedics had to climb into the wreck to stabilise the man’s injuries while plans were made to cut him out. His vital functions were stabilised by means of external monitors and his critical injuries were treated. The Fire and Rescue services assisted in removing him from the wreck.

The ER24 Discovery Medicopter was called in to the scene so as to decrease the time until the man was in hospital and receiving the appropriate life saving treatment. He was handed over at the Milpark hospital in Johannesburg in a stable condition.

The driver of the vehicle and third occupant of the truck managed to get out of the truck and they were treated for minor to moderate injuries at the scene. They were both taken to hospital by ambulance.

The two occupants of the stationary truck were not injured in the accident.

Vanessa Jackson

ER24

An accident on the N12 highway at the Atlas turn off in Benoni left two people dead and six other with critical injuries on Saturday evening. Two girls aged six and ten years were amongst the critically injured. A man and women died on the scene. Paramedics described that they sustained multiple fatal injuries and could not be revived. A Medicopter was called to scene to airlift two of the critically injured patients. The exact cause of the accident is not yet known, but it is understood that two vehicles collided head on with each other. Some of the occupants were ejected from their vehicles during the crash.

In another accident eight people were injured on Kliprivier Drive in Mulbarton, south of Johannesburg. Paramedics from ER24 that arrived on the scene found it in chaos. It is believed that two vehicles collided with each other on Kliprivier Drive. Paramedics treated all of the occupants on the scene before transporting them to hospital.

On Sunday a woman was killed in a head on collision on the R560 Hekpoort Road near Brits when two vehicles collided. ER24 paramedics that arrived on the scene found the two vehicles some metres from each other. A woman believed to be in her forties was found lying across the seats in her vehicle. She sustained severe traumatic injuries and there was nothing that paramedics could do for her. She was declared dead on the scene. Two people from the other vehicle was stabilised on the scene and transported by ambulance to a hospital in Krugersdorp.

Another accident on Sunday left multiple people injured on the N2 and Mew Way in Cape Town. ER24 along with the Department of Health: Western Cape Emergency Medical Services and Metro Rescue stabilised all of the patients on the scene. A man and a woman were in a critical condition when paramedics arrived. The ER24 Medicopter was called to the scene to airlift the man to the Groote Schuur Hospital for further medical management. The man sustained multiple chest injuries during the collision. It is not clear what caused the accident.

Werner Vermaak, ER24

Our suggestion is that if there is a snake bite, that you immediately call your local emergency services. Our 084 124 call centre will be able to talk you through exactly what to do with the patient while medical assistance is on the way.

If at all possible, and if the patient is in a rural area (or the reserve is a distance from your nearest hospital) given that the patient is safe to be moved ie has not fallen from a height or has a back or neck injury etc. The patient should be loaded into a vehicle and driven to where they can be met by an ambulance so as to save time of transportation.

Immediate first aid can be done on the patient where the bite site can be washed with clean water and soap so as to wash any venom away that may be on the skin surface. Keep the affected area as still as possible as movement will aid in the blood flow and venom flow along with it. You may also bandage the area above the bite site given that the bite is on a limb, but ensure that the bandage is over a wide area and is not tighter than you would bandage a sore ankle etc.

This bandages purpose is NOT to occlude blood flow to the area, but simply to aid in suppressing possible swelling. The bite site can be covered with a clean dressing over which an ice pack can be placed in 5 minutes on 5 minutes off rotation to help with swelling and pain.

It is so important to keep the patient as calm as possible!

Remember, appropriate medical treatment is essential, so don’t delay in getting the patient to hospital.

[Info from ER24.co.za]

The ambulance driver and an assistant also died when the ambulance crashed into [the] trailer on Tuesday evening,” health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo said on Wednesday morning.

The ambulance had been driving two pregnant women from Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital to the Greenville Hospital in Bizana when the accident occurred.

“The trailer had no reflectors and it was left right in the middle of the road. It was impossible for the driver to see it,” said Kupelo.

The nurse and the ambulance driver died on the scene while the ambulance assistant and the patient died in hospital on Tuesday.

Another patient sustained minor bruises and was discharged on the same day.

“The MEC for health Sicelo Gqobana conveyed his condolences to the families of the deceased.”

Authorities were searching for the owner of the trailer whom they would charge with negligence and culpable homicide.

[SAPA]

ER24 service provider ResQmed arrived on the scene and found the bakkie had crashed into the back of the truck and that both lanes of the N2 had been closed to traffic because of this horrific accident.

The occupants of the bakkie were found lying strewed across the freeway. Paramedics assessed the patient and found that fourteen patients had suffered serious injuries while the fifteenth patient was in a critical condition. The patients had suffered multiple injuries, including broken limbs and multiple limbs.

All patients were stabilised on the scene and transported to various hospitals in the Kokstad region. The necessary authorities were on the scene and would investigate the incident further.

Derrick Banks
ER24

The first collision occurred at 13:00 when a large truck jackknifed trying to avoid a collision with another vehicle. Whilst jackknifing the truck’s trailer caught the elevated hill next to the highway causing the vehicle to stop abruptly. The impact from the collision was so severe that two of the occupants from the truck were ejected. They sustained moderate injuries and were taken to hospital.

The road was obstructed for quite some time and traffic moved slowly trough the area. Then three hours later at approximately 16:00 traffic came to a complete stop when the truck needed to be moved. The entire road was used to maneuver the truck. A few hundred meters back in the congestion a elderly man in his late eighties did not notice the truck stopping in front of him. The collision with the truck in front of him was so severe that his bakkie was wedged under the truck.

A few minutes after the collision a third accident occurred when a bakkie collided with truck a mere 60 meters past the initial accident. The bakkie swerved into a truck and came to a stop on the elevated embankment next to the road. Fortunately nobody in the bakkie sustained any injuries. The elderly gentleman however sustained some injuries.

With the assistance from local Fire and Rescue services and Metro ambulance services ER24 paramedics stabilised and extracted the man from the bakkie. He was then treated for injuries to his lower extremities and minor lacerations to his face before being transported to Worcester Medi-Clinic.

Andre Visser

ER24

The cause of the accident remains unclear and will form the subject of a South African Police Force investigation.

Paramedics arrived at the scene to find the two wrecked vehicles in the roadway. A man had been thrown on impact from his bakkie and sustained critical injuries, unfortunately succumbing to his injuries prior to the arrival of medics.

The female driver of the light motor vehicle clambered from the wreckage of her car which caught fire shortly after. She sustained serious injuries and was treated and stabilised at the scene by Netcare911 Paramedics before she was transported by ambulance to the Netcare Umhlanga Hospital for the specialist care that she required.