Collision leaves one dead, 17 injured
The jaws of life was used to remove one of the drivers from the wreckage.
A COLLISION between a minibus and a bakkie claimed the life of one person and left 17 injured in the Bhomela area south of Port Shepstone last night. Emergency services, including the police, Hibiscus Coast fire department and several private ambulance services responded.
Rob Mckenzie, spokesman for KZN Emergency Medical Services, said the victims suffered injuries ranging from minor to critical. “One of the drivers was trapped in his vehicle and a KZN EMS rescue medic used the jaws of life to cut the man from the wreckage. The patients were taken several hospitals, including Port Shepstone and Murchison, and to the Gamalakhe Community Health Centre.”
Mr Mckenzie added that when the emergency services arrived, they found a large number of community members at the scene. “Paramedics had to ask the police for assistance with crowd control. Many were merely bystanders trying to see what had happened, and this hampered paramedics’ rescue efforts.”
According to paramedics, some of the bystanders had removed several of the injured passengers from the minibus before paramedics arrived. “It is very important that the injured are not removed from vehicles by someone who is not medically qualified unless there is an immediate and more severe danger to the injured person’s life,” said Mr Mckenzie. “Medical professionals have received special training on how to safely remove injured people from vehicle wreckage.”
He also asked that people not mill around at the scene of an accident as there could be several dangers, including leaking fuel, passing vehicles and broken glass.
UNCONFIRMED reports from emergency medical services indicate that one person has died and between 10 and 17 have been injured in a collision involving a minibus and a bakkie on the P55 in Vumela near Margate a short while ago. No further details are available at this stage. Information supplied by EMRS and Netcare 911.
