Durban - Seven people were killed in car crashes over the weekend in KwaZulu-Natal, including three who died in a six-car pile-up on the N2 northbound near the Westwood Mall on Sunday afternoon.
More than 30 others were injured in various car crashes and accidents over the weekend. Sunday’s multiple crash on the N2 caused traffic on the highway to be gridlocked for several hours.
Rescue Care Paramedics spokesman, Garrith Jamieson, described the scene as “total carnage”.
“Six vehicles had been involved in a collision on the freeway bringing the highway to a standstill,” he said.
Two people died on the scene, while a third was confirmed dead in hospital on Monday morning. Two sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
“Traffic was severely affected,” Jamieson said. “and emergency personnel battled to get to the scene due to the emergency lane being blocked by motorists.
“The entire freeway was initially closed whilst emergency personnel worked to clear the scene.”
Arrive Alive also reported that a man and a woman died in the N2 crash and the Arrive Alive website said traffic had been worsened by “impatient motorists” blocking the emergency lane.
“Police officers had to walk down the road telling people to move out of the emergency lane,” the website said.
Also read: Chaos after fatal smash on N4 highway
On the R103 near Pietermaritzburg, a man and woman, both believed to be in their 60s, were killed when a loose truck trailer smashed into their bakkie.
ER24 spokesman Russel Meiring said paramedics found the wrecked bakkie smashed against the roadside barrier.
“It is believed a trailer had come loose from a truck, which rolled down the road and crashed into the bakkie.”
Rescue services later had to use the jaws-of-life to free the dead man from the bakkie, Meiring said.
In a separate accident on the N2 on Saturday, Jamieson said two people were killed when a taxi and bakkie crashed - with the taxi coming to a rest on top of the bakkie. One person escaped with moderate injuries.
ER24 said that 30 people had been injured in a bus crash off the N2 near Chatsworth.
ANA