Three people have being killed and fourteen others have sustained serious injuries after a taxi and a truck had a head on collision on the N2 about 35km outside Kokstad near Weza this afternoon.
ResQmed and the provincial ambulance service arrived on the scene and found the taxi and truck in the middle of the road. The three occupants in front including the taxi driver were entrapped. The two front passengers, a male and female were unfortunately declared deceased by emergency personnel due to the fatal injuries that they had sustained in the collision. The taxi driver needed to be extricated by means of the Jaws of Life and other hydraulic equipment by the Fire Department. The driver had suffered multiple long bone fractures and lacerations.
Amongst the fourteen other commuters that was injured, a baby under the age one was killed in the accident. It is believed that the baby was been held by its mother when they had the accident. The baby was catapulted from the mother’s arms and landed into the front seat of the taxi. The child had suffered fatal head injuries.
The remaining patients were treated for various injuries and transported to Kokstad Provincial Hospital for further medical care. All necessary authorities were on the scene and would investigate the accident further.
Derrick Banks, ER24