Durban — The N11, outside Ladysmith, claimed six more lives in a crash on Sunday night after six people died as a result of a crash on the same road the evening before.
Reports suggest that a seventh victim in one of the two crashes died in hospital. However, it is not clear in which crash.
Police spokesperson Lieutenant-Colonel Nqobile Gwala said a case of culpable homicide is being investigated by Ladysmith police.
“It is alleged that on July 17, 2022, at 11.50pm, an accident occurred on the N11, Newcastle Road, where four vehicles were involved in a collision. Six people died at the scene, and one was taken to hospital for medical attention. Circumstances surrounding the incident are being investigated,” Gwala said.
ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said they were only aware of the four people that were killed. There could have been more because there was more than one ambulance service in attendance.
“Last night (Sunday), two adults and two children were killed, and another man left seriously injured when a car and a bakkie collided head-on on the N11 outside Ladysmith,” Meiring said.
He said that ER24 arrived on the scene at 9.14pm to find the provincial emergency service already in attendance.
“On closer inspection, medics found the light motor vehicle smashed against the roadside barrier. One person was trapped inside while three others were lying beside the car. The provincial EMS had already declared the four patients deceased due to their injuries,” Meiring said.
“A man, believed to be in his 30s, was seen seated inside the bakkie. Medics assessed the man and found that he had sustained several injuries and was in serious condition. The man was treated and immediately transported to Ladysmith Provincial hospital for urgent care.”
Meiring said that the exact details surrounding the incident were unknown but local authorities were on the scene for further investigations.
Earlier, Meiring reported that on Saturday evening, seven people were killed, and four others were left injured, including two children, when a bakkie and two light motor vehicles collided on the N11.
He said that when ER24 arrived at the scene at 6.30pm, the provincial EMS was already in attendance. Paramedics found three wrecked vehicles in the middle of the road. Several patients were lying scattered around the vehicles.
“On inspection, medics found that six people had already succumbed to their fatal injuries. Nothing could be done for them, and they were declared dead,” Meiring said.
He said five other patients were tended to on the scene. A man, woman and two children, a boy aged 13 and a girl aged 5, were in critical condition, while another girl, believed to be 14 years old sustained minor injuries.
He said the patients were treated and provided with advanced life support before they were transported to Ladysmith Provincial Hospital for urgent care.
“Unfortunately, the critically injured man succumbed to his injuries at the hospital,” Meiring said.
Police had not commented on the Saturday evening crash by the time of publication.
Between Saturday evening and Sunday night, at least 24 people have been killed in mass fatality road crashes across KwaZulu-Natal.
Meanwhile, 12 people were killed when a bakkie allegedly ploughed into a minibus taxi and a police vehicle on the R617 near Mpophomeni.
According to reports, a passenger in the minibus taxi allegedly climbed out of the window while it was in motion. The taxi had 11 occupants, including the driver.
Two of the taxi’s occupants got out to check on the man on the ground, who had died from his injuries.
A short while later, after police officers and security officials arrived on the scene, some of the passengers were leaning against the road’s crash barriers when a bakkie ploughed into them.
Initially, the death toll was 11, but another victim died in hospital on Sunday.
The family members of the dead gathered at a community hall, where they were addressed by Mpophomeni station commander Sibusiso Mchunu.
Daily News