[PIETERMARITZBURG – 05 AUGUST 2011 AT 16H20]
Twelve commuters have sustained various injuries after the taxi they were travelling in lost control and rolled several times before coming to a halt on Edendale Road just before Henley Dam, just outside Pietermaritzburg this afternoon.
ER24 and EMRS arrived on the scene and found the taxi lying on its side, blocking two lanes of the freeway. The commuters had already stumbled out of the taxi and were found seated on the road near the taxi. Emergency personnel examined the patients and found that a twelve year old girl had suffered serious injuries. The remaining patients all suffered with multiple abrasions and lacerations. ER24 and EMRS stabilised the patients before transporting them to Edendale Hospital for further medical care.
It is believed that the driver may have had some sort of mechanical problems while coming down Edendale Road. This caused him to lose control around the bend and over turn. The taxi narrowly missed going down an embankment which could have been disastrous for the passengers at the time.
Derrick Banks
ER24