It seems that one of the trucks crossed the middle island of the highway and then slammed head on into a second truck which was travelling in the opposite direction. It is unclear as to which of the trucks was initially at fault, but both of them were severely damaged. The incident occurred at approximately 19h00 on the N3 in Pietermaritzburg near the Lion Park off ramp.
After the initial accident, two other sedans crashed into the wreckage of the two trucks. Two of the occupants of one of the trucks, which was a vehicle transported truck and was empty at the time, died on impact, while a third occupant was treated by Advanced Life Support paramedics as he had sustained multiple critical injuries. The second truck, carrying chemicals, caught alight shortly after the accident, and the entire cabin and back container of the truck was engulfed in flames. It is unclear at this stage as to how many occupants were inside the second truck, and Fire and Rescue workers battled to extinguish the blaze.
A couple travelling in one of the sedans, were lucky enough to only have sustained moderate injuries, and were treated for possible back and neck injuries before being transported to hospital. The other two occupants of the second car sustained no physical injury and requested private transportation at a later stage if the need arose.
The entire N3 highway was closed while emergency personnel were on scene.
Vanessa Jackson
ER24