A truck driver managed to escape a fiery wreckage after his truck ploughed into multiple vehicles in Pietermartizburg.
It was a deadly weekend for KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) following a series of accidents in various parts of the province.
A truck driver managed to escape a fiery wreckage after his truck ploughed into multiple vehicles in Pietermaritzburg, KZN, before bursting into flames.
The accident happened on the N3 near Peacevale west of Durban late on Sunday night.
‘Chaos’
ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamieson said emergency services based at Hibiscus Cato Ridge Hospital arrived on the scene to find “total chaos.”
“One truck was alight, and the badly damaged vehicles lay scattered around. Immediately, the Ethekweni Fire Department was dispatched to the scene.
“Paramedics assessed all the occupants involved in this crash and found that the two truck drivers had sustained moderate injuries and one other driver had sustained minor injuries.
“All of the injured were treated by ALS Paramedics before the two drivers were transported to a nearby Hospital for further care that they required,” Jamieson said.
The Pietermaritzburg-bound carriageway remained closed for some time whilst emergency personnel worked to clear the scene.
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Seven killed
Meanwhile, seven people were killed and several others injured in a series of deadly accidents on the N2 between Chaka’s Rock and Mandeni on Saturday night.
Three of the accidents included pedestrians, while the fourth was a head-on collision.
Earlier, a pedestrian was hit and killed near the Salt Rock off-ramp at around 7pm.
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Pedestrian killed
Another accident involving a pedestrian took place nearby at Chaka’s Rock a few hours later, at about 11pm.
“The vehicle lost control after striking the pedestrian near Chaka’s Rock, bursting into flames and sadly leaving the driver deceased,” said IPSS Medical Rescue spokesperson, Samantha Meyrick.
The pedestrian, a man, also died from his injuries. At around the same time, a third pedestrian was killed on the N2 near Mandeni.
Fourth crash
The fourth accident of the night happened near Mandeni at around midnight.
According to IPSS Security operations manager, Phumlani Vezi, a car carrying five people from Ballito to Richards Bay was involved in a head-on collision with a South African Police Services car travelling south.
Two men and a woman in the northbound car died in the accident, while the remaining two passengers were also critically injured.
The police officer, who was alone in the car, was rushed to the hospital in a serious condition.
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