[DURBAN – 12 SEPTEMBER 2011 AT 23H00]
On the N3 Durban bound just past Paradise Valley Bridge in the emergency and left hand lane of the freeway, a collision occurred where two trucks and two light motor vehicles had slammed into one another causing most of the freeway to be closed to traffic.
ER24 Discovery Medicopter Ground Support Unit was the first to arrive on the scene had to do protective parking as motorist that were travelling on the N3 toward Durban were unable to see the debris that was lying across the freeway because of poor visibility. When paramedics got closer to the vehicles, they found an articulated truck; a delivery truck and two vehicles had been involved in the collision. The delivery truck had been sheared in half by the articulated truck and had come to rest up on the embankment. The two vehicles were found just in front of the articulated truck.
With an impact like this paramedics feared the worse but their minds were quickly put to rest when everybody on the scene was miraculously unharmed. The necessary authorities were on the scene and had to close off the freeway for a short period until the scene was cleared.
It is believed that the delivery vehicle was travelling on the M13 and had just taken the glide off on to N3, when the driver allegedly lost control of the truck, went through the Armco barrier and down the embankment and landed on the N3 on its side. The driver had already climbed out and just in the nick of time because moments later the articulated truck that was already on the N3 slammed into vehicle which could not be seen due to poor visibility on the road. The two vehicles at the time were travelling pass the truck when the secondary accident occurred.
Paramedics are just gratefully that no one was hurt in the accident.
Derrick Banks, ER24
