Barely 48-hours after a seasonal road safety campaign was launched, three fatal accidents in the Eastern Cape claimed the lives of six people. Fourteen others were injured.
Three people – a mother and her one-month-old child and a three-year-old boy – died when an ambulance rolled about 15km from Qumbu towards Mount Frere on the N2.
The accident happened at around 4pm during wet conditions.
According to health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo, eight people were being transported from hospital at the time of the crash.
The three-year-old boy’s mother, who was also in the ambulance, was admitted to hospital after sustaining injuries to her back and right arm.
The children died at the scene while the woman was certified dead on arrival at the hospital. The driver of the ambulance and two others were treated for minor injuries and later discharged.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Kupelo said emergency medical services (EMS) vehicles were fitted with a tracker system to monitor abuse and negligent driving.
“The vehicle was not on an emergency but returning patients who received specialist care to St Patrick’s Hospital in Mbizana.
“We are investigating the cause of the accident and it will be easy for us to detect if there was negligence from the side of our driver,” he said.
The department appealed to motorists, including EMS drivers, to exercise extra caution in wet conditions.
At around 2.10am yesterday, two people travelling in a Toyota Tazz died when it collided head-on with a long-haul truck-and-trailer at Qamata about 20km from Queenstown in the Cofimvaba direction.
Eastern Cape Arrive Alive spokesman Tshepo Machaea said the three occupants of the truck and two in the Tazz suffered serious injuries. They were rushed to nearby Cofimvaba hospital.
Two hours later, a car overturned on the N6 5km from Queenstown towards Cathcart. The vehicle burst into flames. The driver was burnt beyond recognition.
The three fatal crashes comes after the official launch of Operation Arrive Alive by transport MEC Weziwe Tikana in Aliwal North on Monday.
“It is really worrying the way our people are driving,” said Machaea. “The collision between the truck and Toyota Tazz happened at night and mostly fatigue plays a role during that time.”
Machaea said they did not rule out excessive speeding in the three accidents.
“The accident occurred on a curve and therefore we cannot overrule speeding.
“The victims suffered minor to serious injuries and the damage caused to the ambulance was also evidence of excessive speeding. However, we are investigating.”
Kupelo said health MEC Phumza Dyantyi would unveil three helicopters on December 23 to respond to emergency situations. They would be based at Nelson Mandela Bay, East London, and Port St Johns “due to the high number of shark attacks there”.
With schools closing and business winding down, traffic volumes are expected to peak as thousands of holidaymakers travel to their various destinations
Machaea urged motorists to “learn that speed kills. It’s worse when roads are wet because it is not easy to control your car”.
Six die in road-crash horror
Three people – a mother and her one-month-old child and a three-year-old boy – died when an ambulance rolled about 15km from Qumbu towards Mount Frere on the N2.
The accident happened at around 4pm during wet conditions.
According to health spokesman Sizwe Kupelo, eight people were being transported from hospital at the time of the crash.
The three-year-old boy’s mother, who was also in the ambulance, was admitted to hospital after sustaining injuries to her back and right arm.
The children died at the scene while the woman was certified dead on arrival at the hospital. The driver of the ambulance and two others were treated for minor injuries and later discharged.
No other vehicles were involved in the crash.
Kupelo said emergency medical services (EMS) vehicles were fitted with a tracker system to monitor abuse and negligent driving.
“The vehicle was not on an emergency but returning patients who received specialist care to St Patrick’s Hospital in Mbizana.
“We are investigating the cause of the accident and it will be easy for us to detect if there was negligence from the side of our driver,” he said.
The department appealed to motorists, including EMS drivers, to exercise extra caution in wet conditions.
At around 2.10am yesterday, two people travelling in a Toyota Tazz died when it collided head-on with a long-haul truck-and-trailer at Qamata about 20km from Queenstown in the Cofimvaba direction.
Eastern Cape Arrive Alive spokesman Tshepo Machaea said the three occupants of the truck and two in the Tazz suffered serious injuries. They were rushed to nearby Cofimvaba hospital.
Two hours later, a car overturned on the N6 5km from Queenstown towards Cathcart. The vehicle burst into flames. The driver was burnt beyond recognition.
The three fatal crashes comes after the official launch of Operation Arrive Alive by transport MEC Weziwe Tikana in Aliwal North on Monday.
“It is really worrying the way our people are driving,” said Machaea. “The collision between the truck and Toyota Tazz happened at night and mostly fatigue plays a role during that time.”
Machaea said they did not rule out excessive speeding in the three accidents.
“The accident occurred on a curve and therefore we cannot overrule speeding.
“The victims suffered minor to serious injuries and the damage caused to the ambulance was also evidence of excessive speeding. However, we are investigating.”
Kupelo said health MEC Phumza Dyantyi would unveil three helicopters on December 23 to respond to emergency situations. They would be based at Nelson Mandela Bay, East London, and Port St Johns “due to the high number of shark attacks there”.
With schools closing and business winding down, traffic volumes are expected to peak as thousands of holidaymakers travel to their various destinations
Machaea urged motorists to “learn that speed kills. It’s worse when roads are wet because it is not easy to control your car”.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Trending Now
Latest Videos