Police Cause Accident, Flee Scene, Crash Again

In a bizarre twist, ER24 paramedics responded to two separate accidents this evening involving the same SAPS patrol vehicle. In the first accident, we responded to the N3 Spaghetti Junction where a SAPS vehicle from Inanda allegedly collided with the back of a civilian motor vehicle in the wet weather. This happened just before 7pm. Instead of stopping to assist the motorists and assessing if they were alright, the SAPS vehicle allegedly sped off leaving the civilians stranded in the rain, with a severely damaged vehicle. Fortunately there were no injuries at the scene. The civilians pointed out that the police vehicle had taken the N2 freeway and headed north towards Umhlanga.

While paramedics were still at this scene, we were called to the N2 north just after the Spaghetti Junction for a report of a serious accident involving another SAPS vehicle. When we arrived we found the SAPS vehicle that had allegedly fled the scene of the first accident, as well as another two vehicles. The Inanda SAPS vehicle had broken down in the fast lane and another SAPS patrol vehicle from KwaMashu had stopped to assist him. It was then that tragedy struck again when a civilian bakkie skidded into the back of the KwaMashu SAPS vehicle, causing both vehicles to spin out of control. Fortunately no police members were injured in the accident however a civilian from the bakkie was taken to hospital by ER24 ambulance.

The injured man sustained suspected neck and back injuries. He is in a stable condition at Durban’s Addington hospital.

Traffic was backed up past Spaghetti Junction as well as on the onramps from the N3 as the cars were spread over 2 of the 3 lanes of the busy highway. The wet weather was a concern as motorists continued to drive at normal speeds despite the added danger of aquaplaning their vehicles.
It is not known at this stage whether the SAPS member has been charged.

War on Jo'burg Streets

A bloody shoot-out between taxis occurred this afternoon in several areas of Johannesburg. The most serious shoot-out occurred at the Bree Street taxi rank in the Johannesburg CBD where six people were seriously injured.

At approximately 12h47 this afternoon paramedics treated a man next to the Christiaan De Wet bridge in Roodepoort for a gunshot to his abdomen.

Moments later, paramedics were called out to Christiaan De Wet Road for another shooting. This time two females. aged 24 and 23, were shot by people allegedly driving passed a taxi they were travelling in. The 24 year old sustained serious injuries when one of the bullets went into her chest. The 23 year old was shot in the face. Both of these patients were transported in a serious condition to the Helen Joseph Hospital.

Paramedics also received reports of a taxi shoot-out at the corners of Hendrik Potgieter and Doreen Roads. At this stage we cannot confirm how many people were injured in this incident. At approximately 12h59 paramedics were called out to assist with another taxi shooting on the corners of Hendrik Potgieter and Albert Streets. Two people were shot at this intersection, but were already removed to a nearby hospital by bystanders when paramedics arrived.

At approximately 13h15 paramedics were again, called out to the Bree Street Taxi Rank where absolute chaos broke loose. Six people were shot in a huge shoot-out between taxis. Paramedics arrived on scene, escorted by police, only to find that people laid scattered down the road next to the taxi rank. An elderly male had a gunshot wound in his chest and had no pulse or breathing at the time.

Paramedics from ER24 and NetCare applied effective CPR and managed to get a pulse back. The man was stabilized and transported to the Queen Elizabeth Bridge where he was airlifted by helicopter to the Baragwanath Hospital. Unfortunately he died on arrival at hospital.

Five other people, amongst them one lady, were treated for serious gunshot wounds. Most of them were shot in the chest, abdominal area and head. They were all stabilized on scene and rushed off to nearby hospitals. Paramedics had no reports of any fatalities on any of the scenes.

Whilst paramedics were busy assisting patients at the Bree Street Taxi Rank, ER24 received another emergency call out for patients that have been shot by taxis on the corners of Beyers Naude and Christiaan De Wet Drives. Paramedics, however could not find any injured people at this intersection, but police activity was present.

Photos: Werner Beukes & Werner Vermaak

Six Hour Ordeal After Mountain Fall

A Midrand women had to be rescued this morning after she plunged more than 15 metres down a mountain at a resort in the Vredefort area.

At approximately 09h30 this morning ER24 responded to a distress call from the Thabelo Thabong Mountain Resort. Paramedics arrived at the foot of the mountain and feared for the worst after a brief history was received from bystanders and fellow climbers. A lady, believed to be in her late 20's, was climbing with a group of other climbers at the Vredefort Chimney when she allegedly slipped and fell down.

Fellow climbers said she fell right down to the bottom and landed head first against a branch. If she hadn't collided with the branch on the way down, she would have most probably fell more than 10 metres further. Panicked climbers contacted ER24. Paramedics had to hike up the mountain to find the critically injured woman. After approximately 45 minutes they reached the woman and could assess and treat her for her injuries.

She laid face down with her head between rocks and branches and was in excruciating pain. She sustained multiple facial lacerations and two broken ankles. Due to the cold weather and injuries she sustained slight hypothermia and was treated on scene. Paramedics soon realised that they had to call in specialized rescue teams. About 15 rescuers from ER24, Parys EMS, Parys Fire, Klerksdorp Mountain Rescue and the Mountain Rescue Club of South Africa (Pretoria) joined forces to stabilize and rescue the woman. Paramedics and rescuers on scene immobilised the woman upside down in order to free her from her entrapment between the rocks and branches.

The Mountain Rescue Club of South Africa was contacted to assist with a helicopter. An Aurex Military Helicopter was dispatched to assist the rescuers and evacuate the woman. Rescuers had to lower the woman down with ropes and cables a further 15 metres so she could be accessed by the helicopter. At approximately 14h30 she was hoisted into the helicopter from the mountain and flown through to the Unitas Hospital in Pretoria where she will be treated for her injuries. She is in a stable condition.

Paramedics were constantly monitored for hypothermia and changed from the rescue site continuously due to the cold wind and temperatures. It is not clear if this is the first time that the woman was climbing the route. This was the second mountain rescue for the ER24 Rescue Team in the Vredefort area.

Last year ER24 was also contacted for a rescue in the mountain after a patient fell down and sustained serious injuries.

Taxi Closes Highway

ER24 Emergency Services were called this morning to assist with a serious taxi accident where a taxi overturned and laid accross the M1 highway at the Grayston Bridge.

According to bystanders on scene, the taxi was travelling from Ivory Park towards Illovo (where most of the occupants work) when it suddenly overturned.

Passengers explained that they heard a loud bang just before the taxi started to roll. It appears that the left rear wheel burst and caused the taxi to overturn.

It is not clear in what condition the tyre was before the accident occurred. The taxi veered into the middle barrier and landed onto its roof ripping some of the doors open. Passengers were thrown from the taxi to the side of the highway as the taxi moved along the highway and ended up obstructing most of the traffic travelling towards town.

Paramedics from ER24, Netcare and Provincial Emergency Services joined forces to help the seriously injured. Patients were shocked and horrified after this accident. 15 patients (including the driver) were treated on scene and trasnported to various hospitals in the area.

Most of the patients sustained fractures, lacerations and other serious injuries. Metro Police and Sandton Fire Department secured the scene to ensure safety of rescue workers and patients.

How not to please thy neighbour!

ER24 paramedics responded to the report of a serious motor vehicle accident on the Mt Edgecombe Estate last Thursday afternoon just before 5pm. Initial reports were that one car was perched upon the roof of another in a residence. This obviously has the potential to cause serious injury.

When paramedics arrived they found that an Audi quite literally perched on the roof of a top-of-the-range Toyota Fortuna 4x4.

The accident occurred when the owner (Mr Bordinksy) of 11 Radcliffe Close in Mt Edgecombe Estate parked his Audi in his driveway, which is angled up from the road. When he went inside he said that he suddenly heard his car alarm going off. When he went to investigate he saw that his car had disappeared, however he could still hear the alarm going off. When he got to the bottom of the driveway, his fears of a stolen car changed to horror when he saw a break in the wooden fence which thereafter drops down a steep retaining wall and into his neighbour at 12 Radcliffe Close's driveway.

When Mr Bordinsky went and peered over the fence, he found his car balancing precariously on the roof of the Toyota. "I couldn't believe my eyes!" said Bordinsky, who also highlighted that this is not the first time that this had occurred. In the previous months his sister, who also drives an Audi, parked her car in the driveway and it too had rolled back, but was caught by the very same fence!

The neighbour, known to us only as Garrith, seemed sympathetic to the situation and was extremely grateful that his 10 month old son was not playing in the driveway as he has been known to do. "Nobody means for something like this to happen and our insurances can sort the matter out. Im just grateful that nobody was hurt" he said.

Radcliffe Close resembled a disaster zone with police, fire department, ambulances and paramedics all congregated on the small residential road, as amused onlookers watched the recovery of the Audi by breakdown operators.

1 Car, 8 Occupants, 4 Dead

Four people have been killed and another four seriously injured when their red VW Golf they were travelling in collided with the side of the M1 Highway bridge near the Bloemfontein / Roodepoort Split.

Paramedics arrived on scene only to find people scattered across the highway. Seriously injured people were lying between the mangled occupants' bodies. One person was still stuck in the back of the Golf and was rescued from the wreck by the Fire Department.

According to an eyewitness on scene the Golf was travelling on the M1 in the Bloemfontein direction when it suddenly swerved into the side of the bridge's barrier. It appears that the driver lost control on the bend before the bridge. The car forced itself against the bridge and a lamppost ripping it open, barely balancing on the barrier. A male occupant was flung from the vehicle off the bridge and was found next to a small road somewhat 20 metres down the embankment.

Amongst the dead on the scene were three males and a female. One of the dead appears to be a young child (boy) in his teens. Two males and two females were stabilized on scene by paramedics and transported to the Baragwanath and Johannesburg Hospitals respectively. All of the patients that were transported to hospital sustained multiple head and body injuries. Paramedics had to implement advanced life support manoeuvres to stabilize the critically injured. The remaining occupants were declared dead on scene by paramedics due to massive fatal injuries.

It is unbelievable that eight people were travelling in the small Golf at the time of the accident. The exact cause for the accident is not known and will be investigated by the Metro Police's Accident Investigation Unit. There were no other vehicles involved.

The highway was closed during the investigation and during the removal of the bodies by the Gauteng Forensic Services.

It is fortunate that the vehicle did not crash over the bridge's barrier as the number of fatalities could have been much higher. The relationship between all the occupants in the vehicle could not be established on scene. The next of kin have not yet been notified of the incident. It is not known where the occupants were travelling to or from before the accident.

Truck drives over car, One dead

An 18-wheeler truck drove over a white Ford Sierra this afternoon killing one and left another seriously injured on Hendrik Potgieter near the Doreen Road.

It is believed that the Ford Sierra was stationary in the emergency lane of Hendrik Potgieter in the direction Krugersdorp when the truck ploughed into it. The reason for the truck's deadth path is not yet known.

The car was shredded into pieces as the truck dragged it along the road. The truck only came to a standstill several metres down the road with minor damage to its cab and a burst diesel tank.

When paramedics arrived on scene, a male with serious injuries was found next to the car. He sustained multiple injuries and was stablized on the scene. The other occupant - believed to be the driver - was still trapped in the wreckage and declared dead on the scene.

The cause of the accident will be investigated. No one in the truck was injured.

Woman Trapped after Crash

A woman had to be rescued from her wrecked vehicle this afternoon after her red Opel Kadett and a white Isuzu delivery vehicle collided in the intersection of South Way and Marlboro Drive.

When paramedics arrived on scene, the woman believed to be in her 50's was still trapped in her vehicle complaining of excruciating pain. It appears that the Isuzu bakkie collided on the driver's side of her vehicle. Paramedics stabilized the woman on scene who sustained multiple injuries. After being rescued from the wreck she was rushed off to the Johannesburg General Hospital.

The Isuzu bakkie overturned and came to a standstill on the passenger side of the bakkie. The male (50) driver of the bakkie climbed out of his overturned vehicle before paramedics arrived on scene. He sustained chest injuries and was transported to the Alexandra Clinic for further medical management.

It is not clear who was at fault and how the accident was caused. There were no bystanders available for comment. It is also not clear if the delivery van was on its way to make a delivery. The driver could not comment at the time.

Metro Police and the Fire Brigade attended to the scene. The Fire Brigade assisted the paramedics with the rescue of the trapped woman.

Sandton accident claims a life, 12 injured

A reckless Johannesburg motorist’s decision to make a U-turn into oncoming morning traffic in Sandton today cost a taxi passenger her life and left 12 others injured.
At about 09:00 the driver of a Volvo S40 was driving south down Sandton Drive when he made an about turn at the intersection with William Nicol Drive, to get into the opposite lane. A northbound taxi in Sandton Drive, with 13 occupants, hit the right-hand side of the Volvo and overturned.

Eyewitness Ronald Munyai was sitting on a barrier next to the road near the intersection when the accident happened. He jumped out of the way as the swerving taxi came past him.
"As the taxi was rolling, passengers were flung out of the windows. I also saw three passengers flying out of one window," Munyai said.
One woman, who was flung from the taxi, was crushed when the wreck landed on top of her.
Munyai and other passers-by rushed to the taxi to help her.

Natalie Anderson was two car lengths behind the taxi at the intersection when the collision occurred:
"I saw the taxi swerving out of the way of the Volvo. But it connected the front end. The taxi went swerving across the road, it wobbled and flipped over. The taxi rolled four or five times. I just wanted it to stop. It was terrible.
"I immediately pulled over and ran to the taxi. There were a group of men trying to lift the taxi off of her and I helped them pull the woman out. She was lying flat down on her face. As I knelt down next to her she was moving slightly," Anderson said.
An off duty paramedic arrived on the scene and tried to save the woman’s life, but minutes later she was dead.

According to Riana Beech, ER24 spokesperson, the other 12 passengers suffered head, neck and back injuries. Several had fractured bones.
While the injured, including the taxi driver Mamdleni Madondo, were taken to hospital, Johannesburg Metro Police started their accident investigation on the scene.
They are investigating a case of culpable homicide and reckless and negligent driving against the Volvo driver.

Photos: Halden Krog
Sunday Times Online

Four Serious in Tshwane Accident

Four people have been seriously injured after a silver BMW and a Telkom Van collided on the corners of Rosetta and Mitchell Streets in Tshwane this evening.

According to bystanders the two vehicles collided with force in the intersection and the Telkom Van overturned. The overturned vehicle came to a stand still on its passenger side barely missing parked vehicles in Rosetta Street.

The male driver of the BMW explained that he was travelling in Rosetta Street when the accident occurred. The Telkom Van was travelling on Mitchell Street in the direction of Laudium. The male Telkom employee - believed to be in his 30's - said he was travelling on Mitchell Street on his way home.

The driver and his wife from the BMW was found outside of the vehicle lying in the road when paramedics arrived. A rear passenger in the BMW sustained serious injuries and had to be rescued by the Tshwane Emergency Services from the wreck using the Jaws-of-Life. The roof and driver doors of the BMW had to be cut off to rescue the trapped victim.

The occupant of the Telkom Van climbed out of the vehicle just before paramedics arrived.

All of the patients were stabilised on scene and transported in a stable condition to nearby hospitals. All of them sustained head, chest and limb trauma. Metro Police and SAPS attended to the scene.

BMW Ripped In Two During Crash

A 35 year old woman died horrifically this evening when her car she was travelling in was ripped in two pieces on the N1 highway. Shortly after 20h24, ER24 paramedics made their way to a scene which was described by callers as "gruesome".

When paramedics arrived on the N1 highway just before the Beyers Naude Offramp, we found a red BMW convertible that was in pieces. The front engine compartment was lying next to the fast lane of the highway and engulfed in flames. The rear compartment of the BMW was lying a couple of metres from the burning wreckage.

Paramedics and members from the SAPS tried to extinguish the fire to look for other occupants of the vehicle. The Fire Department took over when they arrived on scene and completely extinguished the fire. A woman's body was found hanging halfway out of the wreck of the rear compartment. She was declared dead by paramedics on scene, due to the massive head injuries she has sustained.



Nappies and other belongings were scattered next to the wreckage. At first rescue personnel thought that more occupants were in the vehicle and were possibly thrown out of the wreckage during the crash. The area was searched on both sides of the highway, but no evidence of anyone else was found. No further evidence was found to believe that a baby or other occupant was travelling in the vehicle at the time of the crash.

It appears that the vehicle veered off the highway to the left hand side and then across all the lanes to the fast lane shortly before it allegedly collided with a overhead signpost next to the highway. The exact cause for the accident is not yet known. Metro Police will be investigating the accident.

A similar accident occurred a couple of months ago on the N1 at the 14th avenue off ramp where four people were killed travelling in a VW Jetta when their vehicle also collided with an overhead signpost next to the highway.

Head-on Collision Leaves 9 Year Old Critical

A head-on collision between a Nissan 1400 bakkie and a blue Toyota Sedan left a nine year old boy on Banfield rd, Industria, in a critical condition.

It is believed that the two vehicles collided on a bend in the road just before the intersection of Hamilton Street.

When paramedics arrived on scene, they found the little boy outside the vehicle with severe head injuries and lacerations. The boy was stabalized on the scene and transported by Netcare to the Baragwanath Hospital where he will receive further medical treatment.

It appears that the boy was sitting on the back seat of the car and was unrestrained at the time of the impact. He was most probably thrown against the front or the side of the car, causing the serious injuries.

Two cousins, also believed to be nine and eight years old, were in the vehicle along with the seriously injured child. According to the grandfather who was allegedly driving at the time, they were on their way to an afternoon school in Maraisburg. The grandfather sustained minor injuries along with the male driver of the Nissan bakkie. Both of them were assessed on scene, but declined hospital transportation.

The exact cause is not known and will be investigated by the JMPD Investigation unit.

Nightmare on Rivonia

One person died horrifically and four others were injured in two separate accidents this evening on the N1 at Rivonia.

At approximately 20h05 ER24 responded to a fatal accident on the N1 at Rivonia in a southern direction before the off-ramp. Paramedics found a gruesome scene as the body of an unidentified male was mangled beyond recognition. It is believed that the man tried to cross the highway when a vehicle collided with him. Several other vehicles also drove over the man before the area was closed off.

Due to the injuries the man sustained he was declared dead on scene. Only two vehicles pulled over after colliding with the man. The occupants of the vehicle which collided with the pedestrian first, was assessed on scene. Fortunately they have sustained no injuries.

Metro Police attended to the scene and will conduct an investigation. The highway was again closed of for traffic due to body remains.

Whilst attending to the pedestrian accident a man pulled over on the N1 southbound and told paramedics that he just witnessed a serious accident on top of the Rivonia bridge. Paramedics rushed to scene only to find that two vehicles have collided with each other and were spread across the highway in both directions. A red bakkie and a dark colored sedan collided with each other. It is believed that both vehicles were travelling towards Roodepoort when they collided. Both of the vehicles allegedly spun out of control and the bakkie overturned several times before landing on the median barrier of the highway.

Three people have sustained serious injuries from the bakkie. One of the occupants was flung from the back of the bakkie during the collision. All of the occupants sustained possible fractures and body injuries. All of the occupants from the bakkie were transported by ER24 ambulance to the Johannesburg General Hospital.

The male driver of the sedan was assessed by paramedics, but fortunately not injured during the collision.

The N1 Rivonia have claimed three serious accidents in one day and closed off three times to commuters.

CPR Saved Yet Another Life!

ER24 paramedics rushed Saturday afternoon to yet another drowning incident in Gauteng. This time a 13 month old baby was rescued by family members from a swimming pool in the yard. According to the family they do not know how the little one got out of the house and fell into the pool.

It is understood that a family member found the baby drifting in the swimming pool. The family immediately realised that the baby had no pulse. A family member commenced with CPR and another contacted ER24 EMS.

On arrival the family was busy with CPR and paramedics used invasive procedures to gain a heartbeat. The baby was loaded in an unstable condition in the ambulance and rushed to the Glynnwood Hospital for further assistance. After approximately 30 minutes of CPR the baby regained a strong heartbeat and tried to breath on its own.

The baby was handed over to the casualty staff with a adequate heartbeat. The family did excellent CPR and this might be the reason why he regained a strong heartbeat en route to hospital.

It is not clear at this stage how the baby got to the pool and if the pool was covered.

Silicone blamed for crash

Two people have sustained injuries this afternoon when their vehicle they were travelling in overtuned on the Maraisburg bends and rolled into a veld next to the road. The 37 year old male passenger of the vehicle sustained serious injuries to his right leg and had to be rescued from the wreck by paramedics. The 33 year old male driver of the vehicle sustained multiple lacerations to his head and arms.

According to the driver of the vehicle they were returning from a car wash in Maraisburg when the accident occurred. The driver strongly believes that the silicone that was applied to his wheels (to make it shine) was the cause for his vehicle to slide. The exact cause for the accident could not be determined as no witnesses were prepared to comment on scene.

Fortunately there were no other vehicles involved and no one was walking in the veld.

The Maraisburg bend is well known for its serious accidents and is known by paramedics as "death-bend".