JOHANNESBURG - Twenty-four people have been injured, one critically, in two separate crashes involving minibus taxis in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, paramedics said on Sunday.
Ten people were injured in a collision between a minibus taxi and a car on Edendale Road just before Henley Dam in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands on Saturday night, ER24 spokeswoman Ineke van Huyssteen said.
When ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene at about 8pm, they found a car in the middle of the road and a minibus taxi a few metres further away, which had rolled after the accident.
The driver of the car was found to be trapped. The fire department, as well as ER24, extricated the man using the jaws-of-life. He was found to be in a critical condition and advanced life support interventions were immediately initiated. Paramedics treated and stabilised him at the scene before transporting him to hospital for further medical care.
Nine people from the minibus taxi had sustained injuries ranging from minor to moderate. ER24, as well as various other services at the scene, transported the injured to various hospitals for further medical care. The exact circumstances surrounding the crash were not yet known, Van Huyssteen said.
In another crash on Saturday night, in Meyerton in Gauteng, 14 people were injured when a minibus taxi and a car collided on the R59 at the Meyer off-ramp, Van Huyssteen said.
When ER24 paramedics arrived at the scene, they found most of the injured people seated on the grass. Upon further assessment, paramedics found that 14 people had sustained minor to moderate injuries.
No-one in the car was injured. ER24, as well as the provincial emergency medical services (EMS), transported the injured people to hospital for further medical care. The cause of this crash was also not yet known, Van Huyssteen said.