Paramedics have just completed on the scene of a four hour long rescue of patients who were involved in the R614 Wartburg crash.
The fully laden taxi is believed to have crashed through the concrete barriers of the Umgeni bridge landing several meters down in the water below. There were 15 people in the taxi at the time of the crash and sadly two women had died due to the nature of their injuries prior to the arrival of paramedics. One woman was found dead inside the taxi while the other had been swept onto the rive bank. Both were pronounced dead on scene.
Three other women had suffered extensive injuries and while paramedics treated them at the scene they called in the assistance of AER24 which then airlifted the three women one at a time. Two women were airlifted to Edendale hospital and the other to Mediclinic Pietermaritzburg for care of multiple injuries including head injuries and multiple broken bones.
Ten patients remained at the scene; two had to be rescued from the far side of the river bank where it is believed they had swum to after the taxi had come to rest in the water. It was necessary for the SAPS Search and Rescue team to set up rigs in order to get to the patients, and the remaining eight patients were hoisted up to the bridge using stretchers. Five of the remaining ten patients suffered moderate injuries and the remaining five minor injuries. All services on scene played a role in the treatment and transport of the patients to hospitals in the area.
Details surrounding the cause of this horrific accident are still under investigation.
[Details from ER24]