A horrific crash left 15 people dead and several injured after a taxi and a truck collided on the R555 Old Ogies Road near Witbank yesterday (Friday 24 January 2014) afternoon.
Shortly after 16:00 paramedics from ER24 and local emergency services received the emergency call where the caller only described the incident as horrific. Paramedics that arrived on the scene found people strewn across the road.
Paramedics that attended the scene explained that people were ripped apart during the collision. They found only two survivors on the scene. One of them was in a critical condition and the other (driver of the truck) sustained only moderate injuries. Both were transported to a local hospital for further medical management.
According to bystanders on the scene, an articulated truck and a taxi collided head on with each other leaving a path of carnage before both vehicles came to rest. It is understood that the taxi was traveling from Johannesburg’s East Rand to Witbank when the collision occurred.
Amongst the killed were three children believed to be between the ages of three and six years.
Several paramedics received trauma counselling on Saturday (25 January 2014) due to the horrific nature of this incident.
The exact cause of the incident is not yet known and local authorities will be conducting an investigation into this crash.
Paramedics urge road users to take special care, especially driving long distances.
ER24
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