Earlier this evening, paramedics from KZN Emergency Medical Services and emergency services from the KZN South Coast including the police, Hibiscus coast fire department and several private ambulance services responded to the Bhomela area south of Port Shepstone after community members had reported a motor vehicle accident to the emergency services
The emergency services arrived on scene on the narrow road to find the road completely obstructed by a LDV type bakkie and a mini bus which had collided. There were also a large number of community members that had come down from their house to the road to try and assist.
The paramedics had to ask the police for assistance with crowd control as there were many people just standing around on the scene, trying to see what had happened, who were hindering the paramedics rescue effects. According to the paramedics who were on scene, the by standers had also removed some the injured passengers from the mini bus prior to the paramedics arriving on scene.
The paramedics from KZN EMS who had responded to scene in five ambulances, several response vehicles and a rescue vehicle, were joined on scene by paramedics from several private ambulance services. The patients were counted and triaged according to their injuries. Tragically one person was killed in the accident and was declared dead on scene. The 17 other patients from the LDV and the mini bus were treated by the team of paramedics, they had injuries ranging from critical to minor.
One of the drivers was entrapped in his vehicle due to the deformities caused to the vehicle during impact. He was treated and then extricated from the wreckage by the KZN EMS rescue medic, who had to use the jaws of life to cut and shear the wreckage way from the man so that he could be freed.
The patients were transported to several hospitals in the area including, Port Shepstone and Murchison hospitals as well as Gamalakhe Community Health Centre for continued medical care
The police are investigating the accident and details regarding the cause of the accident will be for their comment.
When there has been an accident people are asked not to just mill around on the scene of the accident as there are several dangers, including leaking fuel, passing vehicles and broken glass etc that are a danger to them, this can, as in this cause, also obstruct the emergency services in performing their duties.
It is also very important that the injured people are not removed from the vehicle by someone who is not medically qualified, unless there is immediate and more severe danger to the injured person’s life. An example of this would be the vehicle has caught on fire. The reason for not removing the patient is that if they are removed from the vehicle incorrectly it can worsen their injuries and even kill the person. Medical professionals have received special training on how to remove injured people from vehicle wreckages.
Robert McKenzie