A serious truck accident on the N14 at the Petroport in the direction of Pretoria has left a man with critical injuries.
It seems that the first container truck was stationary in the emergency lane of the highway and the second truck came past in the slow lane. The driver may have miss judged the distance he had for moving past the stationary truck and the left passenger side collided onto the back of the stationary truck. ER24 Paramedics who arrived at the scene said that the entire left side of the cabin was ripped open and the passenger was entrapped inside the mangled metal.
He was already in a critical condition and paramedics had to climb into the wreck to stabilise the man’s injuries while plans were made to cut him out. His vital functions were stabilised by means of external monitors and his critical injuries were treated. The Fire and Rescue services assisted in removing him from the wreck.
The ER24 Discovery Medicopter was called in to the scene so as to decrease the time until the man was in hospital and receiving the appropriate life saving treatment. He was handed over at the Milpark hospital in Johannesburg in a stable condition.
The driver of the vehicle and third occupant of the truck managed to get out of the truck and they were treated for minor to moderate injuries at the scene. They were both taken to hospital by ambulance.
The two occupants of the stationary truck were not injured in the accident.
Vanessa Jackson
ER24