Four Injured In Riot

Police had their hands full when more than a hundred angry people started rioting near Pietermaritz street in Pietermaritzburg this evening.

Although we cannot guarantee the fact, it most certainly resembled recent Xenophobic attacks that have been occurring around the country in the last months. ER24 paramedics who were on the scene, said that the crowd was large and angry. Initially the paramedics treated three Ethiopian males, who had sustained minor superficial stab wounds to their necks and backs. It also appeared that they did not want any medical treatment, but wanted to rather return to the angry mob to continue fighting for their rights. After the paramedics spoke to the men, they reluctantly agreed to be taken to hospital for further assessment. Their wounds were bandaged and they were loaded into the ambulance.

Before the ambulance left the scene, paramedics were sent another patient. This time a South African woman, who had sustained minor injury to her elbow after rocks had allegedly been thrown at her. She too was patched up and loaded into the ambulance for transport to hospital.

One of the Ethiopian men said that a fight had started in the community when his brother's car had been vandalised for no apparent reason, and this had sparked the bigger crown of people getting involved, and things turned more violent.

The local Police as well as K9 units were on scene to attempt to calm and disperse the angry crowd.

Two Die After Crashing Into Tree

A man and a woman, who appeared to be in their thirties, have died tragically after their vehicle left the road and slammed into a tree. It seems that the pair were driving along the N1 highway near the Okavango turn off, when their car veered out of control.

It is unclear as to why the driver of the Toyota lost control of his vehicle, but it is suspected that they experienced mechanical problems or that a tyre had burst. After the vehicle left the road, it seems that it drove into the large tree with severe force. ER24 paramedics who were on the scene, said that the front wheels were pushed almost into the top of the dashboard. The front of the vehicle was badly damaged, and both patients sustained severe injuries. Both of them died in their seats in the car after the dashboard appears to have crushed their chests. Fire and Rescue workers had to cut the mangled wreck away from the tree before the two's mortal remains could be removed.

No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

Man Dies On Durban Beach

ER24 paramedics were called to the Lower Marine Parade beachfront for a man that had been shot. When they arrived, they found the man who is believed to be in his fourties, lying face down in the sand. He had sustained what appeared to be a gun shot wound to his left chest.

After the initial assessment, it was determined that the wound to his chest was fatal, and he was declared deceased on the scene. It seems that there was a witness to the incident, and the Durban Metro police obtained statements to investigate all possibilities.

It is unclear as to whether the man's family has been informed of this tragedy.

Man Airlifted After Head On Collision

Five people have been injured after two cars collided on the R44 in Blackheath near Stellenbosch. Paramedics that were on the scene were trying to determine how the accident could have happened, but were slightly stumped as there is quite a large middle island between the two lanes of the carriage way.

It seems like the two cars were travelling in opposite directions when the accident occurred, and one car was badly damaged in the front and side, while the other only had frontal damage.

When paramedics arrived, all of the patients were outside of the vehicles, and bystanders quickly alerted them to a man who was in a serious condition. The bystanders said that the man was still stuck in the vehicle when they had witnessed the accident and pulled over. They managed to pull him out of the crumpled wreck, much to the surprise of the Fire and Rescue workers as they thought for sure they would have needed to use the Jaws of Life to cut away at the mangled metal.

The man was treated on scene for serious chest injuries, and his condition seemed to be deteriorating. The treating Advanced Life Support paramedic then decided that the patient would fit into flight criteria, and the ER24 Discovery Medicopter was summonsed. The man was airlifted from scene and was in hospital within minutes for more advance medical treatment.

The other four patients, three men and a woman, had sustained multiple injures and were treated an transported to hospital by road ambulance.

The cause of the accident is unknown, but the relevant authorities were on scene to investigate.

School Bus Hit By Train

A school bus, carrying sixty two children and three teachers, returning to Pretoria from a school tour in Limpopo, collided with a train in the early hours of the morning. The incident took place near the Rolle Train Station in Thulamahashe.

The bus was crossing the railway tracks when the train hit. Fortunately the bus was almost completely over the tracks when the collision occurred, leaving the majority of the patients with only minor to moderate injuries.

Two children and one of the teachers were sadly declared deceased on the scene due to multiple fatal injuries. It is unclear at this stage as to the sex and ages of those fatally injured. The other sixty two patients were treated on scene, and transported to surrounding hospitals by local ambulances for further treatment.

It seems that the driver of the bus fled the scene after the incident. No one in the train, which was carrying goods at the time, sustained any injuries.

THANK YOU

Thank you to ER24 and Ben Johnson for giving a very informative and practcal talk at Wednesday's, Monteseel Community Watch meeting on CPR and managing choking situations. The residents of Monteseel appreciate the 'community spirit' of ER24 and their staff! - Sue Johnson

Two Die In Double Truck Accident

A large truck had broken down on the side of the road heading towards Villiers near the Vaal Marina on Villiers Road. The driver had called the mechanic to help, who arrived in a white bakkie. The two were then trying to find out why the truck had broken down when they noticed another truck coming straight for them. According to eye witnesses, the two just ran as fast as they could into the field next to the road. 

The second truck slammed into the stationery truck as well as the white mechanic’s bakkie, with such force that both male occupants were ejected out of the front windscreen. Both of them come to rest in the road, and had sustained multiple fatal injuries. There was nothing paramedics could do for the two men, and they were pronounced deceased on the scene.

It seems that the driver of the second truck had lost control of the vehicle which then veered toward the side of the road where the first truck had broken down. The road surface was also severely damaged by the incident, and traffic had to be diverted onto the middle island of the road. The road will be closed for some time heading into Villiers due to clean up operations.

Family Loses Possessions In Fire

A family has lost most of their worldly possessions in a fire that tore through their Bryanston home. It is unclear as to why the fire started, but it seems that the roof was the first thing to catch alight.

A mother and two eighteen month old children were in the house at the time, but fortunately the woman kept a cool head, collecting the children and removing them from the home before the fire got worse. The Fire and Rescue services were called along with ER24 paramedics to attend to the scene. The paramedics assessed the mother and two children, who seemed physically unaffected by the incident, but it was recommended to them that they see a physician for possible smoke inhalation. The three were taken to a family members’ house to deal with the shock of what had happened.

The fire devastated their home, with firemen pulling out undamaged furniture to try and salvage it. The front lawn of the house was littered with their undamaged possessions. Fire investigators will determine the exact cause of the fire.

Ten Month Old Airlifted To Johannesburg

A ten month old baby boy, who was in a critical condition with severe pneumonia and a collapsed lung, was transported by the ER24 Discovery Medicopter from Trichardt to a Johannesburg hospital for further treatment. The baby needed assisted ventilation, but was stable, although still critical, during the flight. He will be further assessed by the doctors in Johannesburg and treateed accordingly.

Eight people were injured after two minibus taxis crashed on Voortrekker Road, just before Vanguard Drive, in Goodwood.

When emergency services arrived on the scene they found one of the taxis had smashed into a cement pillar of a car dealership.

Eight patients were treated for minor to moderate injuries on scene before being transported to various surrounding hospitals for further medical care.

It is alleged that the one taxi hit the other taxi from behind causing it to crash into the pillar. Voortrekker Road was closed in the direction Maitland for approximately half a hour while emergency services worked on the scene.