Initial reports of the accident stated that a truck had overturned and that 30 people had been injured. All ambulances and rapid response vehicles in the area were dispatched to the scene where they found that a bakkie had rolled and there were people strewn across the road. The reason for the bakkie overturning is at this stage not clear and will be investigated. The bakkie was found on the roadside embankment, having landed on its wheels.
The most serious patient had sustained multiple injuries and would need immediate medical care after the initial stabilisation that was provided by the paramedics at the scene. He was placed on a manual ventilator and his other injuries treated. The ER24 Discovery Medicopter was called in and the man in his late 20’s was airlifted to the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg.
The remaining patients, 7 having suffered moderate injuries including broken bones and back and neck injuries, and a further 11 men having suffered minor injuries such as scrapes and abrasions, were all transported to various surrounding hospitals in the area by the various ambulance services at the scene.
The road remained closed while the patients were being treated, and once the patients had been removed, one lane was open to traffic.
The bakkie was the only vehicle involved in the accident.
Vanessa Jackson, ER24
Also view: Ask the Expert – Transporting Goods and Passengers on a Bakkie
