Motoring mayhem in wet and misty KZN
17 November 2009, 07:09
By Bronwyn Gerretsen and Siphilile Shelembe
Wet and misty weather combined with negligent driving wrought havoc on KwaZulu-Natal's roads on Monday, with two people killed and 20 injured in more than 20 accidents.
With the weather conditions set to persist through the week, motorists were urged to "apply common sense" while driving.
Netcare 911 spokesman Jeff Wicks said one man was killed on Monday morning and two were seriously injured when the bakkie in which they were travelling collided with another vehicle on the N2 northbound carriageway, near the KwaMashu off-ramp.
The survivors were treated and stabilised by Netcare paramedics before being cut free from the wreckage by eThekwini firefighters.
Another man died and three were seriously injured when their car collided with another vehicle on the M4 near Zimbali, north of Durban. In another accident, four police officers were injured when their vehicle overturned on the N3 near Sherwood.
Wicks said two officers were seriously injured.
Traffic on the M7 was affected for several hours after an articulated truck collided with another truck and five cars at the N2 bridge before coming to rest facing oncoming traffic and bursting into flames.
Five people were injured in the incident, while three vehicles were involved in a minor secondary collision as traffic backed up at the scene.
Motorist Sam de Romijn had been on her to way to the airport to board a flight for Cape Town when her VW Golf was struck by the truck. She was shaken by the incident.
ER24 spokesman Derrick Banks said a 51-year-old man was injured when his motor bike collided with a vehicle in Pietermaritzburg.
Banks said the man sustained spinal injuries and was in a serious but stable condition in hospital.
In the Durban city centre, the driver of a BMW was lucky to escape with minor injuries when the car he was travelling in crashed in Anton Lembede (Smith) Street.
Banks said the car spun and hit several vehicles before coming to rest on the pavement outside a car dealership.
The wet and rainy conditions are forecast to persist until Friday, breaking for a warmer and drier Saturday, but returning on Sunday.
- This article was originally published on page 1 of The Mercury on November 17, 2009
Durban
