Jaws of Life used to free truck driver after R37 accident
The paramedics were unable to reach the entrapped driver due to the position of the truck, and had to wait for towing assistance.
Emergency personnel used the Jaws of Life to free a truck driver who had lost control of his interlink truck at the R37/R539 turn-off this morning, August 8, at about 04:00.
According to Emer-G-Med’s operations manager, Martin Jeffrey, the driver had lost control due to suspected brake failure. Consequently, the truck veered off the road and down the embankment, ploughing through the plantations before smashing into the bridge pillar on the R37.
“Due to the way the truck was under the bridge, we could not access the driver and [we] requested Van Wettens and Mbombela Fire and Rescue to be mobilised to the scene to assist with the extrication of the patient,” Jeffrey said.
In the meantime, the paramedics managed to communicate with the driver, who indicated he was experiencing neck and back pain.
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It was a challenging rescue that lasted nearly four hours. Once Van Wettens and the Mbombela Fire Department managed to move the wreckage to a safe place, paramedics used the Jaws of Life to extricate the driver just before 08:00.
He was then transported to Rob Ferreira Hospital where he was treated for minor back and neck injuries.
Jeffrey said the road was clear when they left the scene.
