Mayhem on the streets Pietermaritzburg ensued last night as ER24 paramedics had their hands full with accidents. The night started off at approximately 10pm when a truck overturned on the N3 in the vicinity of Nottingham road, no occupants of the vehicle was injured. So paramedics left the scene to attend to other emergencies. Then just before midnight a secondary accident occurred at the scene when an oil tanker came around the corner and jackknifed into the initial scene taking out an EMRS paramedic response vehicle, a SAPS vehicle and a N3TC vehicle. People at the scene considered themselves lucky as only one person was injured at the secondary accident.
ER24 paramedics received the call to go back to the scene at approximately midnight, but whilst responding to this secondary accident, the paramedics encountered another truck which had overturned on the N3 Lions River. An empty car carrier had overturned losing its load which was boxes of fish. There where three occupants of the vehicle who needed medical attention and were then treated at the scene before being taken to hospital.
With fish laying all over the road the paramedics where keen to leave the scene due to the smell, but at 1:45am as the paramedics were preparing to leave they received another report of a vehicle overturned on the R103 Nottingham road. When they arrived at the scene they found a small passenger vehicle lying on its roof. The Driver and only occupant of the vehicle, was allegedly ejected from the vehicle and found four meters away from the wreckage. Apart from extensive soft tissue damage to his upper extremities the paramedics suspected that the man could have severely damaged his back and neck. They then carefully stabilized the man’s injuries before transporting him to hospital.
After meeting for a well deserved cup of coffee the paramedics returned to their standby points ready to attend the next call.
Andre Visser
ER24
