Bystander to the Rescue

A man believed to be in his late 30's is in a critical condition when he was involved in a serious head-on collision on Beyers Naude this evening. A Chrysler Neon and a Toyota Land Cruiser collided head on at approximately 21h20 on the Beyers Naude drive outside the African-Asian Experience Restaurant.

The Neon Chrysler burst into flames coming from the bonnet. A bystander who was eating at the restaurant at the time said that he heard a loud crash and saw the flames when they looked towards the road. According to him, he grabbed a fire extinguisher from the restaurant and used another from his car. He rushed himself towards the scene and extinguished the fire.

Fire fighters from Huntershill fire department struggled for almost an hour to free the entrapped man from his mangled wreckage. They had to use the jaws-of-life and hydraulic equipment on scene. The man sustained severe injuries and possibly multiple fractures to his legs and arms. Paramedics had to treat the man whilst he was still entrapped in the vehicle to ensure the best possible outcome.

The man was treated on scene by NetCare and ER24 paramedics. He was then transported by NetCare, after the rescue and stabilization, to the Olivedale Clinic.
Paramedics from ER24 assessed the driver of the Toyota Land Cruiser. The 39 year old male driver from the Land Cruiser was allegedly on his way home from a work meeting when the collision occurred. He fortunately sustained minor injuries, but was advised to go to hospital for a thorough examination.
It is not clear at this stage why the two vehicles collided head-on and who was at fault. The incident will be reported and investigated by the relavent authorities.