Durban — Road crashes claimed the lives of more than 10 people in parts of KwaZulu-Natal over the long weekend.
These were reported by private emergency medical services between Friday and Tuesday.
On Tuesday, three people were killed and another person was left critically injured following a head-on collision on the N3 near Ladysmith.
IPSS Medical Services managing director Dylan Meyrick said that on the arrival of paramedics, a scene of devastation was found as two cars had collided head-on.
“It was established that three occupants had sustained fatal injuries and were sadly declared deceased on the scene, including a 10-year-old girl. A fourth patient was found to be severely entrapped in one of the vehicles and had sustained critical injuries,” Meyrick said.
The patient was extricated using the Jaws of Life by EMRS Rescue and was stabilised and transported to a nearby facility for the further care, he said.
On Sunday, one person was killed and multiple people were injured in three different crashes on the South Coast.
KwaZulu Private Ambulance (KZPA) service spokesperson Chantelle Botha said that on Sunday evening, KZPA responded to the N2 near Paddock for reports of a collision. When emergency services arrived, they found that a vehicle had lost control and overturned.
“Paramedics quickly assessed the scene and found that one patient had sustained critical injuries, two patients had sustained serious injuries, and one patient had sustained minor injuries. The patients were treated on scene before being transported to the hospital for further treatment,” Botha said.
“Sadly, one occupant had sustained fatal injuries and succumbed to their injuries before emergency services could arrive.”
Botha said emergency services also responded to another collision on the N2 near Paddock, where three vehicles were involved in a collision and multiple patients sustained injuries ranging from serious to minor.
Then on the N2 near uMzumbe, there was another collision involving three vehicles. Four patients had sustained injuries ranging from serious to minor.
In another crash on Sunday, five people were killed and two others were injured in a crash on the N3 near Ladysmith.
Meyrick said that on arrival, paramedics were met with a horrific scene where two vehicles had collided at high speed.
“Sadly, it was established that the single occupant of one vehicle was deceased,” Meyrick said.
“When assessing those in the second vehicle it was discovered that a child had sustained critical injuries and an adult had sustained moderate injuries.
“The patients were stabilised on scene and transported to nearby facilities for further care. Sadly, four other occupants of the second vehicle were declared deceased.”
In another crash, one person was killed and approximately 15 people were injured in a multiple-vehicle accident on the R617 near the Boston SAPS just before 9am on Sunday.
ALS Paramedics Medical Services together with other emergency services arrived on the scene to find total carnage after multiple vehicles had collided on the roadway leaving one person entrapped and multiple others injured.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said that immediately more ambulances as well as advanced life support paramedics were dispatched to assist.
“Approximately 15 patients had sustained various injuries ranging from critical to serious with one person sustaining fatal injuries. Due to the number of injuries as well as the status of the injuries the Netcare 911 Aero Medical Helicopter was called in to assist in airlifting two children who had sustained critical injuries to hospital,” Jamieson said.
The rest of the injured patients were stabilised on the scene by advanced life support paramedics before being rushed to nearby Pietermaritzburg hospitals for the urgent care that they required.
On Friday afternoon, ALS Paramedics responded to King Dinuzulu (Berea) Road (South) opposite Berea Centre for a pedestrian-vehicle accident.
“On arrival, paramedics found that a woman believed to be in her forties had sustained major injuries. Unfortunately there was nothing more paramedics could do for her and she was declared deceased on the scene,” Jamieson said.
“Two occupants of the vehicle had sustained moderate injuries and were stabilised on scene by ALS Paramedics before being transported to a nearby hospital forfurther care.”
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