[Vereeniging 27 January 2012 15:15]
Three men have been killed and another 12 people injured after a double cab bakkie and a taxi collided on the R82 near the Deneysville Road turn off.
The mechanism at which the two vehicles collided is not clear, but the bakkie was extensively damaged on the front more on the drivers side. The mangled metal had encroached into the drivers compartment as the impact is believed to have been severe. The taxi lay on its side approximately 50 meters away, in the long grass on the side of the road.
Three occupants had been killed in the taxi; the driver included. One of the deceased was still inside the taxi and the other lying underneath. The men had not survived their injuries and there was nothing further that could be done for them. The driver remained entrapped in the wreckage and the Jaws of Life would be used to cut his body free.
The remaining 11 occupants of the taxi suffered fortunately only minor to moderate injuries and were treated on scene before being taken to hospital by ambulance. The driver of the Ford Ranger bakkie had sustained quite severe injuries but he was in a stable condition and was taken to Mediclinic Vereeniging under Advanced Life Support care. He had been the only occupants of the bakkie.
The road was closed with the assistance of traffic officials as medical personnel worked at the scene. Debris from both vehicles was strewn across both lanes.
The actual cause of the accident will be determined by the police who were at the scene.
Vanessa Jackson, ER24
