No ambulance available on day of head on collision
Victims of a head on collision in Sabie had to wait an hour for an ambulance to come from Mbombela because the only available ambulance in the town, at the time, was transporting a patient to Bushbuckridge
SABIE – A man involved in a head-on collision between Sabie and Graskop died 40 minutes after the accident occurred. This is according to eyewitnesses on the scene.
Emergency services, on the other hand, arrived an hour after the accident had taken place.
This is because there was no ambulance available in Sabie, just 10 minutes away from the accident.
According to WP Serfontein, an eyewitness, the accident between the bakkie and sedan took place at 17:00. The police were called to the scene, however, traffic officials arrived 30 minutes later.
They had to wait a further 40 minutes for an ambulance to come from Mbombela.
The driver of the bakkie, as well as the passenger in the sedan, sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
The one ambulance available to the town at the time of the accident had taken a patient to the Mapulaneng Hospital in Bushbuckridge. The other three ambulances were being serviced.
One of the three was returned Thursday and is operational.
According to Mpumalanga Department of Health spokesman, Dumisani Malamule, the two ambulances are waiting for necessary parts.
“As a contingency, nearby stations are assisting the the town when there is a backlog of patients,” said Malamule.
