[Olifantsfontein 28 July 2011 08:00]
A 4 vehicle pile up on the N1 South this morning 500 meters before the Olifantsfontein Road off ramp has left a woman deceased and absolute chaos on the highway this morning, with vehicle parts strewn across all lanes.
Three light motor vehicles and a truck crashed into one another after a witness believes that one of the vehicles suddenly swerved across the road. A white VW Polo rolled after the impact with the other vehicles and landed on its side at the edge of the highway. The three occupants were ejected and sadly the driver died at the scene due to the multiple injuries that she had sustained. The woman, believed to have been in her 30’s, had her two young children in the car at the time and they too had been ejected and landed on the road. The 6 month old baby had sustained severe head injuries and was airlifted by a Medicopter to the Steve Biko Academic Hospital in Pretoria where he was handed over in a critical condition. His 4 year old sister was also in a serious condition and she too was airlifted from the scene. The ER24 Discovery Medicopter took the little girl to the Charlotte Maxeke Academic Hospital in Johannesburg for further medical treatment.
The man in the second badly damaged vehicle sustained serious injuries and he was taken from the vehicle and placed onto specialised equipment to further protect his back and his neck. He was transported via ambulance from the scene. His vehicle had landed across the road and looked like parts had been ripped from the body.
The occupants of the third light motor vehicle, and the driver of the truck had not sustained any physical injuries in the accident and chose to leave the scene with private transportation. The truck had come to rest a few meters down the road and was not noticeably damaged.
Paramedics and Fire and Rescue personnel at the scene had their hands full with trying to control traffic, make a safe landing zone for the two Medicopters as well as treat and transport the injured from the scene.
The Police assisted with control of the scene and they will conduct their necessary investigations into the cause of the accident.
Werner Vermaak, ER24
