One dead, baby critical following midnight N2 crash near Zinkwazi

A tragic head-on crash in the early hours of this morning left one man dead and nine people injured, including a baby, on the N2 north of Stanger.

According to IPSS Medical Rescue’s Paul Herbst, both the north and southbound lanes of the highway near New Gelderland were closed for a short time following the midnight accident.

They arrived to find a 36-year-old man in a life-threatening condition and multiple other injured.

Of the nine victims hurt in the crash, three people including a baby girl sustained serious injuries, with a further six receiving moderate wounds.

“Paramedics arrived to find a male patient in his late thirties in a critical condition,” Herbst told the Courier.

“Despite the efforts of paramedics, the patient succumbed to his injuries and was declared dead at the scene of the accident.”

Also read: One killed in truck, car head-on collision – N2 Zinkwazi

Herbst said it appeared four people had been travelling with the deceased while the remainder of the victims were family members of the baby girl in the other vehicle.

He said it appeared that all the victims were locals.

“The driver of one of the vehicles was trapped within the wreckage and required KwaDukuza Fire Department to use the jaws of life to free him,” said Herbst.

As of 3pm this afternoon Herbst said the child and other victims were still critical and being cared for in hospital.

Also read: UK tourists killed in Zinkwazi accident had ties to royal family

The stretch of the N2 north of KwaDukuza is infamous for its death toll, with many people losing their lives in accidents on the highway every year.

Meanwhile, another crash at around 7am this morning left one man in a critical condition and three others with moderate injuries.

According to Herbst, a single vehicle lost control and rolled on the N2 southbound just passed Tinley Manor on the blind bend.

Also read: Pedestrian killed in Ballito collision

This brings the death toll on the North Coast’s roads to at least two this weekend, following the death of a pedestrian yesterday who died after a taxi careened off another vehicle following a crash in upper Ballito.

This latest pedestrian death has led to an outpouring of concern on the North Coast Courier’ s Facebook page regarding the safety of pedestrians on Ballito’s busy roads.

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