Multiple collisions occurred this afternoon on a specific part the N1 highway near Rawsonville. All the collisions occurred within one kilometer of each other and all within a few hours.
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
