Bloemfontein – Bakkie Over Turns Leaving Four Injured.

An accident has taken place on the N1 this evening about 70km outside Bloemfontein in the direction of Cape Town, involving a bakkie and a trailer that had lost control and over turned.

When ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene, they found the bakkie lying on its side with two occupants lying about twenty meters away from the vehicle. The third occupant was found lying near the front of the vehicle, while the fourth was found seated on the road side.

The two patients found furthest away from the vehicle were in a critical condition. Both had suffered severe head injuries and needed advanced life support intervention. They were intubated and placed onto a ventilator and stabilised further. The other two occupants were treated for serious neck and back injuries. All four occupants were transported to Bloemfontein Medi-Clinic for further medical care.

It is unclear how the driver lost control or why the vehicle rolled but the necessary authorities were on the scene and would be investigating the incident further.

Man's Hand Chopped Off

ER24 paramedics were called to the Sharpville Police Station in Vereeniging for a young man who’s hand had allegedly been cut off by a panga.

It seems that two men had been arguing when a panga was pulled out, and the  twenty one year olds left hand was chopped off at the wrist. The details are still unclear, but the man was taken to the Sharpville Police Station, along with the hand to await emergency medical treatment. Fortunately, the hand was placed on ice, and as paramedics arrived, they began treating the man. He had suffered blood loss and was in a moderate amount of pain. He was given fluid supplements through a drip, and pain medication. The paramedics also made further attempts to preserve the hand.

The ER24 Discovery Medicopter was called in to assist with transporting the man to hospital, so as to increase the chance for reattachment of the hand in surgery. The patient will be airlifted to the Pretoria Academic hospital where surgeons will be waiting to take the man to theater.

Pietermaritzburg - Taxi Accident Leaves One Dead

A child has been killed and six other commuters have sustained serious injuries after a taxi collided into the side of a farmer’s bakkie on the R617 near Underberg this afternoon.

Emergency personnel arrived at the scene and found the taxi lying on its roof near the bakkie that was just a few meters away. The young child was found lying on the road in a pool of blood. Unfortunately, the child was already deceased by the time paramedics arrived on the scene.

The six commuters were found scattered around the scene and all had sustained serious injuries. One patient had sustained a partial amputation to his arm, while the other five had sustained massive abrasions, lacerations and severe fractures.

Advanced Life Support intervention had to be performed on the patients before they were transported to various hospitals in the area for further medical care.

It is unclear what happened in this collision, but the necessary authorities were on the scene to investigate the incident further.

Trench Collapses On Man

The details of the incident are still unclear, but according to ER24 paramedics on scene, the details are as follows:

It seems that an unknown number of men had began digging two parallel trenches around a half a meter apart, approximately two to three meters deep and ten to twenty meters long. It is further believed that they were extracting copper cable from these trenches on a private industry's land in Welkom. As they continued extracting the cable, the middle wall between the two trenches gave way, causing the clay-like mud to collapse inward. 

ER24 paramedics were called to the scene to assist with possible patients, but all they could determine was that there was one man who was almost completely stuck in the mud. All that was visible was a small section of his face, and there was no possibility of removing him from the heavy soil. The local Bronville police force was on the scene, as well as the Welkom Flying Squad. After the middle wall of the trench had collapsed the man's accomplices had run to a nearby police station to alert the officials of the incident. 

Paramedics had to wait on scene for heavy rescue equipment to dig up the heavy soil in order to free the man's body. He is presumed deceased from him injuries. The police will be investigating the incident.

Nature Reserve Truck Overturns

A truck full of workers has overturned within the Suikerbosrand Nature Reserve. It seems that the driver lost control of the vehicle shortly before 4pm this afternoon, possibly due to mechanical failure, although the exact cause of the accident is still uncertain and will need to be investigated by the necessary authorities. It is further believed that the truck was travelling down a tar road in the Reserve, coming around a bend toward a T-Junction where he would have turned right to go towards the exit. The truck then collided with a curb, causing it to overturn onto its side. 

The truck is believed to have been returning the occupants to their homes after a days work within the Reserve. As the truck lost control and rolled some of the occupants were ejected while others remained inside the rear canvas covered compartment of the vehicle. ER24 paramedics explained that when they arrived on the scene there were a number of patients lying around the truck on the ground.

Fortunately no one was fatally injured in the accident, but two men, who are believed to have been flung from the truck, sustained critical injuries and were removed from the scene by two Medicopters. One man, who had sustained serious injury to his hips and his chest was airlifted to a Johannesburg hospital by the ER24 Discovery Medicopter. He was however fully alert and in severe pain. He was given pain medication by Advanced Life Support paramedics on the scene, stabilised and prepared for the Medicopter to transport him to a medical facility as soon as possible for further treatment. The other man was rushed to theater shortly after arrival at the hospital. 

Two other men sustained possible back and neck injuries and were loaded onto specialised equipment before being taken to nearby hospitals by road ambulances. A further eighteen to twenty patients were transported to surrounding hospitals for further assessment and treatment of minor injuries that they had sustained. It is believed that a further five or so patients had left the scene with private vehicles prior to the arrival of paramedics, and it is unclear as to whether they had sustained injury or not.

The patients treated were a mixture of males and females, with ages estimated to be between twenty and fifty years old. They had all sustained various injuries ranging from possible broken bones, back and neck injuries, chest injuries, lacerations and minor scrapes and bruises.

Woman Allegedly Assaulted On Her Lunch Break

It seems that the thirty year old woman was leaving for her lunch break from her place of work in McGregor street, Bloemfontein, when she was allegedly assaulted.

ER24 paramedics were called to the scene by her colleagues when they saw her walking back to the office and she seemed to be staggering. They then noted that she had collapsed as she had entered the gate of the premises. 

When paramedics arrived on the scene, the woman was in a great deal of pain, but she was fully alert and remembered what had happened. She explained that she was going to get lunch when she was approached by an unknown suspect who allegedly assaulted her with a blunt object to the head. Upon assessment, paramedics found that she had a fracture of her skull, and they bandaged the wound, stopped the bleeding and loaded her onto specialised equipment into the ambulance. She was then transported to a nearby hospital where she will receive further assessment and treatment for her injuries.

No other people seemed to have been involved in this incident, and it is still unclear as to whether the lady had any of her personal belongings taken from her during the alleged assault. The city police were on scene to take statements for investigation.

Six Injured In Collision

A collision on French road in Pietermaritzburg near the Makro has left six people injured after a light motor vehicle and a municipal bakkie collided this afternoon.

ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene and found the two vehicles in the middle of the road. The driver of the bakkie and three passengers were found outside the vehicle and were treated for minor abrasions and lacerations. They were stabilised and transported to Pietermaritzburg Medi-Clinic in a stable condition for further medical care.

The driver and passenger of the light motor vehicle, an elderly couple, were both found inside the car. The wife who was entrapped was extricated by the local Fire Department by means of the Jaws Of Life and other hydraulic equipment. Both her and her husband were treated for possible neck and back injuries and transported to a nearby hospital for further medical treatment.

It is unclear who was at fault but the local authorities were on the scene and would be investigating the incident further.

Police Officer Air Lifted Due To Critical Injuries.

Three police officers were injured this afternoon when the vehicle they were travelling in over turned on the R549 near the Vaal Dam in the direction of Deneysville.

ER24 paramedics along with other emergency personnel arrived on the scene and found the light motor vehicle down an embankment; all three occupants were found outside the vehicle. The one police officer was found walking around on the scene with minor injuries. His colleague was found near the vehicle and he had suffered possible neck and back injuries. These two men were transported by ambulance to Vereeniging Medi-Clinic for further medical assistance.

A third officer was found about twenty meters from the overturned vehicle and was in a critical condition. He had suffered severe head and chest injuries and required advanced life support intervention. The patient was stabilised and airlifted by the ER24 Discovery Medicopter in a critical but stable condition to Union Hospital where trauma staff were waiting.

It is unclear what caused the accident but the necessary authorities were on the scene and will investigate the incident further.

Cyclist Critical After Being Knocked Down

A cyclist in his late thirties has been left with critical injuries after he was riding his bicycle on Barrage Road near Vanderbijlpark this morning. A bakkie then collided with the man, throwing him a few meters from his bicycle.

The bakkie did not seem badly damaged, but as ER24 paramedics arrived on the scene, they noticed that the man who was lying in the road was critically injured. He had sustained what seemed to be a severe head injury and he was not breathing but had a pulse. Paramedics took over his breathing manually and stabilised his condition before loading him into the ambulance to transport to hospital.

The driver of the bakkie was left physically uninjured in the accident, and the police will be investigating the cause.

Taxis Collide Head On In Fourways

Two taxis have collided head on at the Grosvenor Crossing intersection of William Nicol and Main Road in Fourways. ER24 paramedics on the scene said that the two mangled taxis landed up in the middle of the intersection after they had collided.

According to those paramedics on scene, there were people all over the road, some were able to still walk around while others were lying in the road. Others were still trapped in the mangled vehicles. All emergency services in the areas provided resources to deal with the large number of patients on the scene. 

Six people had sustained critical injuries and needed Advanced Life Support treatment, two of them were actually airlifted from the scene by helicopter and were transported to a Johannesburg hospital for treatment. Seven other had sustained serious injuries, while a further eleven had only sustained minor injuries. The patients were a mixture of males and females, and it would appear that there were no children involved. 

Paramedics spent two hours on the scene, and the intersection was almost completely blocked to the early morning peak hour traffic. Fortunately the Police and Metro Police were on scene to assist with traffic flow and keeping the scene safe for the emergency workers and patients.