Rescue workers successful
The men were freed from the cabin relatively easily, but rescue workers battled to transport them up to the road.
LYDENBURG – It took rescue workers four hours to retrieve two men from a slope on the Long Tom Pass on Friday afternoon, after the truck they were travelling in went off the road.
Bossies Community Justice’s Mr Danie Theron said it was believed that the driver misjudged a curve on the road and crashed through the barrier. They were travelling from Lydenburg in the direction of Sabie at around 13:00. The truck came to a stop about 40 metres down the slope.
Also read: Long Tom Pass closed due to snow and ice
Theron confirmed that the men were freed from the cabin relatively easily, but rescue workers battled to transport them up to the road.
The Off Road Rescue Unit and Netcare 911 attended to the patients.
Emergency personnel were alerted by a tourist couple who witnessed the accident.
According to a witness on the scene, the couple went above and beyond contacting emergency services. “They went down to see if the people were fine before they left.”
Also read: Vehicles hijacked on Long Tom Pass
Both men were transported to Lydenburg Hospital. One sustained chest injuries and the other a fractured leg.
According to Mr Deon Broekman, a hazmat operator from Rapid Response, the road between Lydenburg and Sabie was closed on Saturday morning for the retrieval of the truck.
