School Children Injured On Their Way To School

Monday mornings are usually classified by most as being 'blue', and for these children this one definitely was.

On their way to school in a taxi this morning, on the notorious Old Johannesburg Road in Vereeniging, fourteen children were injured when their taxi collided with an Opel Corsa. It appeared according to bystanders that one of the vehicles was overtaking when they collided almost head on with each other. Both of the vehicles were severely damaged on their front passenger sides.

When ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene they explained that the vehicles were an entangled mess into one another, and that the taxi was almost totally covering the Corsa's bonnet.

The twenty eight year old woman that was driving the Corsa was in a critical condition with a suspected head injury, and she had to be removed from the vehicle by heavy rescue workers using the Jaws of Life. Paramedics on scene said that it was a difficult task to get her out as the steering wheel and dash board were right up against the woman's chest. Advanced Life Support paramedics stabilised her while she was being cut out of the wreck. They had to cut away at the taxi first and then the doors and pillars of the Corsa were removed. She was airlifted by the ER24 Discovery Medicopter to a Johannesburg hospital where she will receive the appropriate treatment. The flight crew explained that she was indeed critical, but was stable upon handover.

The fourteen primary school children, aged between eight and thirteen, were found outside of the taxi, crying and assisting their friends with their injuries where they could. They all sustained moderate to minor injuries and were transported to nearby hospitals via ambulance. There were also two male adults in the taxi who sustained serious injuries due to the impact to the front of the taxi.

According to paramedics, many of the children's' family members as well as the woman's arrived on the scene and were crying, praying and comforting each other.

Traffic police on scene will be handling the necessary investigations.

PICTURES: ER24 Vereeniging Crews