Emergency personnel were kept on their toes on Thursday morning, 22 August, as they responded to two separate collisions that resulted in seven people being injured.
The first accident occurred just before 8 am at the intersection of Albert Wessels Drive and Marconi Drive in the Riverside Industrial Area.
In this incident, a security company’s bakkie, transporting staff members to work, was involved in a significant collision.
A representative from the security company reported, “The vehicle was travelling up Albert Wessels Drive, and as it was turning into Marconi Drive, a VW Polo crashed into our vehicle.” The impact was severe, leading to multiple injuries and extensive damage to the bakkie.
An eyewitness, who had been parked at the intersection when the collision occurred, provided an account: “I saw the bakkie turning when the Polo came down Albert Wessels Drive (from the direction of town) and collided into the security vehicle.”
Following the crash, the eyewitness sprang into action, exiting his vehicle to assist the injured security personnel trapped in the wreckage.
Local emergency medical services (EMS) were promptly dispatched to the scene.
However, the scale of the incident required additional ambulances as the extent of the injuries became apparent. An official at the scene confirmed that five people were injured, with two considered seriously hurt. Paramedics worked diligently to assess and stabilise the injured before transporting them to the hospital, with the full extent of their injuries still to be confirmed.
While paramedics attended to the casualties, traffic officers took charge of managing the traffic flow to ensure the safety of everyone involved and to facilitate the work of emergency services. Breakdown companies were also present to clear the wreckage and help restore normal traffic flow. Furthermore, Newcastle SAPS will now investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision.
Later in the morning, shortly after 9 am, another collision occurred along the N11, en route to Volksrust, near the turn-off to the Road Traffic Inspectorate and ArcelorMittal.
The details of this crash remain unclear, but a traffic official on the scene reported that two vehicles were involved, a VW Polo and a Toyota. According to the official the vehicles were travelling in opposite directions when they collided, the VW Polo allegedly crashing into the left side of the Toyota. The VW Polo was allegedly heading towards Newcastle and Ladysmith, while the Toyota was heading towards Volksrust.
“It isn’t clear how the two vehicles collided on the straight road, but two people sustained injuries,” explained the official. The full extent of these injuries will be determined by medical personnel. Emergency teams were on hand to manage the scene and regulate traffic flow as the area was cleared. Further investigations by the police are underway.
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