Emergency services called to series of accidents

GRAAFF-REINET | ABERDEEN — Two serious accidents occurred on the N9 between Aberdeen and Graaff-reinet this past Friday morning, July 14.

The first, at about 05:00, involved a Toyota Camry travelling from Cape Town to the former Transkei. According to the driver, he heard a bang and lost control of the vehicle, which overturned.

His 44-year-old sister-in-law, who was a passenger in the vehicle, died at the scene of the accident.

Her 8-year-old daughter was seriously injured and was initially taken to Aberdeen hospital, then transferred to Port Elizabeth.

The second accident occurred just half an hour later.

According to eye witnesses, the driver of a Quantum taxi was overtaking another vehicle when he saw an oncoming vehicle approaching. As he tried to get back onto the correct side of the road, he lost control of the vehicle and it rolled, ending up in the veld.

The driver, 29-yearold Siyakholwa Gecelo, and a 79-year-old woman passenger, Veronica Tshokela, both from Cape Town, died at the scene.

The remaining eleven passengers were taken to Midland Hospital in Graaff-reinet, where one was admitted. Two were transferred to a hospital in Port Elizabeth, and the other eight were discharged after treatment.

The vehicle was travelling from Cape Town to Cofimvaba in the former Transkei, where the passengers were to attend a funeral.

On Tuesday evening, July 18, at 20:40 the driver of a Volvo truck belonging to Hestony Transport lost control of the vehicle about 21km from Aberdeen, travelling towards Graaffreinet.

EMS personnel were first on the scene and found the driver, 40-year-old Boniface Lhihuri, trapped inside the cab of the overturned vehicle, fortunately, conscious and able to talk to them. A rescue vehicle arrived and freed him using the jaws of life, and the injured man was able to walk to the ambulance. He was then taken to Aberdeen Hospital.

The driver was unable to explain what caused him to lose control of the vehicle.