Johannesburg – A woman has died and five others injured on Friday morning after two light motor vehicles collided head-on with one of the cars bursting into flames.
The incident happened at about 6.30am on Friday morning on Wilgerood Road towards Christian De Wet Road in Roodepoort.
ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said when paramedics arrived on the scene, they found one vehicle alight on the side of the road.
“Two other vehicles were parked a short distance away. Upon closer inspection, paramedics found that a woman had been trapped inside the burning vehicle,” he said.
After the vehicle was extinguished by Joburg Emergency Management Services, paramedics discovered that the driver had already succumbed to multiple, fatal injuries.
“Nothing could be done for her and she was declared dead on the scene.
“Five other patients were found on the scene from the two others vehicles. Four patients were found to have sustained minor to moderate injuries while a fifth was in a critical condition,”” Meiring said.
Paramedics treated the patients and provided the critically injured with advanced life support interventions.
Although there were reports that the Fire Department vehicle that responded didn’t have water, Joburg EMS spokesperson Robert Mulaudzi (corr) said the first vehicle deployed initially to the accident scene, was a rescue vehicle.
“It does not carry water, so it cannot be expected to have water. After the fire broke out, a fire engine which carries water was called out to the scene.
“The fire engine was close by and couldn’t have taken more than half an hour to get there,” he said.
Mulaudzi added that the reports surfacing had portrayed us in an unprofessional way “and an untruthful one as well”.
On what caused the crash he explained it was believed that the driver of a light motor vehicle lost control, causing the vehicle to collide head-on with a second, oncoming vehicle.
“A third vehicle then apparently rear-ended the first,” Mulaudzi concluded.
In a separate incident 14 people were left injured this morning after a taxi and light motor vehicle collided on the R511 in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg.
Meiring said that when ER24 paramedics, along with other services, arrived on the scene they found both a taxi and light motor vehicle had already pulled off to the side of the road.
“Upon closer inspection, paramedics found that the 14 passengers from the taxi had been injured in the collision.
“Paramedics assessed the patients and found that all the patients had sustained minor to moderate injuries,” he said.
The patients were treated on scene and thereafter transported them to a nearby provincial hospital for further treatment.
“The the drivers of the taxi and light motor vehicle fortunately did not sustain any injuries,” he added.
Local authorities were on the scene for further investigations.
@Lanc_02