[Gauteng 09 December 2011]
The wet weather around the country has possibly played a part in a number of the accidents that happened on our roads since 6am this morning.
With the rain in Gauteng starting yesterday afternoon and showing no signs of letting up just yet, it is no surprise that the poor visibility and wet roads may lead to an increase in the number of accident. Surprisingly, there were very few accidents that ER24 attended to yesterday afternoon and into the evening, but a clear increase has been seen this morning.
Across the country between 6am and 10am approximately 30 accidents were attended to by ER24. Fortunately, most of the people involved in these accidents were left with no injuries or only slight or moderate injuries.
An accident this morning in Leansia, on Nirvana Drive, left 11 people injured. It is believed that a taxi was pulling off the side of the road to offload some passengers when a truck was not able to stop and skidded into the back of the taxi. 4 people were treated for possible neck and back injuries while the remaining 7 people has only suffered slight injuries. All 11 people were taken to the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital for further treatment. The driver of the truck was not injured.
2 women needed treatment for injuries that they had sustained in a collision with a truck on the Ascot on Vaal Road in Vereeniging. The Opel allegedly had to quickly slam on brakes to avoid another car after which is appears to have spun out of control and the truck was unable to stop, slamming into the car. Both women were treated for their injuries and taken by ambulance to Mediclinic Emfuleni for further care. The truck driver was not injured in the accident.
An 18 year old woman was trying to cross Frikkie Meyer Boulevard near Millin Street in Vanderbijlpark. The driver of the double cab bakkie that was travelling down the road at the time was unable to stop in time and the vehicle knocked the woman. She was treated for moderate injuries at the scene before being taken to Sebokeng Hospital by ambulance.
A pregnant woman, and a mother and her son were luckily not injures in the accident that happened on Verdi Street in Vanderbijlpark. The woman who was taking her son to school this morning had to suddenly apply harsh brakes and the vehicle did not stop, crashing into the back of a Renault. The Ford the further slid off the road landing in the wet grass at the side of the road. After thorough assessment, all patients were found to have not been physically injured in the accident.
Driving on wet roads needs to be cautious, a lot slower than normal, and following distances need to be increased. Please always keep your headlights on as already poor visibility from heavy cloud cover and rain may make it more difficult for other motorists to see you.
Vanessa Jackson, ER24
