Fatal accidents ahead of weekend in and around province

SIX people are known to have died yesterday – two on a KwaZulu-Natal road and two just over the provincial border in the Free State.

In the KwaZulu-Natal incident, a man died at the scene when a goods truck overturned on the R617 near Impendle, according to ER24 spokesman Russel Meiring.

An elderly woman who had been pulled from the vehicle died on her way to a clinic.

Her daughter was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

In the Free State incident, two small children and two adults died in a head-on collision 3km from Harrismith, according to Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha.

“The roadway was found to be littered with accident debris and the crumpled remains of one of the vehicles consistent with that of a high-impact collision,” he said.

“The other wreckage had come to rest on its roof on the grass verge some distance from the roadway.”

Three people were critically injured and a further three were in a serious condition and were taken to hospital.

Earlier in the day, in Pietermaritzburg, ER24 medics found a man in a critical condition after having been knocked down by a vehicle on the N3 near the Church Street off-ramp.

“Paramedics treated the man and provided him with advanced life-support interventions,” said Meiring. “Once treated, the man was transported to Grey’s Hospital.

“The driver of the light motor vehicle was… found to have escaped injury, although visibly shaken.” – Staff Reporter