Four people have died and multiple others critically injured after two serious accidents on the R44 in Stellenbosch occurred yesterday, 7 hours apart and within 10 kilometers of one another.
The first accident, just before 3pm in the afternoon, was a taxi that had rolled on the R44, Strand Road, Stellenbosch. The taxi was carrying mostly woman, and their children. One young boy, aged 6, needed to be airlifted from the scene due to the severe injuries he had sustained. He was taken to the Red Cross Children’s Hospital by the ER24 Discovery Medicopter where he was in a critical condition.
The other patients, who had sustained moderate to critical injuries, were transported to various surrounding hospitals by ambulance.
The second accident, which occurred on the R44 just after the Klapmuts turn off, happened at around 10pm. It is believed that a woman heading out of Stellenbosch, driving a sedan, collided head on into a bakkie transporting 16 people, most of whom were sitting in the back, where there was no canopy.
Most of the occupants were flung from the bakkie, and three people died at the scene. The other 13 had sustained critical to serious injuries, and one of whom died in hospital later last night. The woman who was driving the car, sustained moderate injuries, and she too was taken to hospital by ambulance.
The Stellenbosch police attended both scenes.
Vanessa Jackson
ER24