[MIDRAND – 07 MARCH 2012 AT 14H00]
A collision on the Samrand Avenue near the N1 involving two trucks, has left two people of which one was the driver of the truck in a critical condition.
ER24 paramedics from Johannesburg North and Pretoria along with other emergency personnel arrived on the scene and found the two trucks with extensive damage to both and in the middle of the intersection. The driver of the smaller truck was entrapped and needed the Jaws of Life and other hydraulic equipment to help extricate him from the vehicle. It took rescue workers over an hour to free him as the front part of the truck was severely damaged.
The driver needed Advanced Life Support intervention due to the critical injuries that he had sustained in the crash. The man had multiple broken bones and suspected neck and back injuries. He was taken to a nearby hospital for further medical care.
While emergency personnel were treating the driver, a fellow worker who is believed to have being at the back of the truck, was found on the road underneath some sand that they were carrying. Paramedics dug him out and assessed him straight away. The patient was unresponsive and needed Advanced Life Support care straight away. CPR was started and after awhile his vitals started to improve. The ER24 Discovery Medicopter was called to the scene to airlift the patient for rapid medical care to Johannesburg Gen for further medical intervention.
It is unclear who was at fault but the local law enforcement authorities were on the scene and would investigate the accident further.
Derrick Banks, ER24