One dead, six injured in N8 crash
ONE PERSON was killed and six others were injured in a head-on collision outside Kimberley yesterday afternoon.
The accident occurred at around 1pm on the N8, about 50 kilometres from Kimberley (towards Petrusburg), when two vehicles, a blue Mazda 323 and a silver Polo, collided.
The force of the collision left both vehicles damaged almost beyond recognition.
The male driver of the Mazda died on the scene and lay trapped in the vehicle, while three passengers were critically injured.
They were travelling towards Bloemfontein and reportedly live in Warrenton.
The driver of the Polo and two passengers, who were travelling towards Kimberley, sustained serious injuries.
Emer-G-Med paramedics had to use the Jaws of Life to free a passenger from the Polo and the deceased from the Mazda. They also transported some of the patients to Kimberley Hospital, while the rest were transported to the Pelonomi Hospital in Bloemfontein.
While the road was not closed to motorists after the accident, medical personnel on the scene said that curious onlookers, who were slowing down at the scene to look at the carnage, “made things difficult” for emergency services.
Free State police spokesperson, Sergeant Sinah Mpakane, confirmed that a case of culpable homicide had been opened following the incident.