[Stellenbosch 15 October 2011 13:00]
The man that was knocked over by a vehicle on Blaauwklippen Road in Stellenbosch this afternoon appeared to be in his late 30’s to early 40’s, and suffered extensive, life threatening injuries that would require immediate treatment at an appropriate medical facility. The ,man was found lying in the centre median of the road, seemingly having been knocked by a vehicle travelling outbound in the direction of Somerset West.
ER24 paramedics from the Strand base arrived at the scene to assist the Department of Health Provincial Government Emergency Medical Services team with the critically injured patient. The ER24 Discovery Medicopter was activated early as to give the man a fighting chance in hospital, where the trauma team would be able to assess his wounds and treat them as necessary.
While the Medicopter was in flight, paramedics on the ground stabilised the man’s injuries. He had suffered what appeared to be a severe head injury, internal injuries and multiple broken bones. He was placed on external life support equipment and his injuries attended to. The Medicopter landed in the road and the patient was airlifted to Tygerberg Hospital for further care.
The driver of the vehicle seems to have avoided injury in the accident, and he was no longer on scene when paramedics arrived.
The police attended the scene for investigation purposes.
Vanessa Jackson, ER24