This is according to ER24 spokesperson, Russell Meiring, who said that the accident happened this morning around 04h35 and upon arrival, paramedics found a taxi lying on its roof some distance from the road. Several people were found scattered on the scene.

The paramedics quickly assessed the patients and found that the male taxi driver had sustained numerous injuries and showed no signs of life. Meiring says nothing could be done for him and he was declared dead. Meanwhile, three other patients were found to be trapped inside the taxi. Two of the patients, a man and a woman, were found to be in a critical condition. Rescue Services had to use specialised equipment to free the three trapped patients.

 “Once freed, paramedics treated the patients and provided the critically injured patients with advanced life support interventions. Once treated, all seven patients were transported to nearby hospitals for further treatment. Local authorities were on the scene for further investigations,” Meiring said.

This accident follows after the minister of Transport, Blade Nzimande, expressed his concern on 22 December last year about the number of trucks and minibuses involved in major horrific road accidents. Nzimande revealed that since the start of December 2018 until that day, 32 minibus taxis were involved in fatal accidents, with North West’s neighbouring province, the Free State, accounting for most of these minibus accident fatalities. “These collisions took place in Bloemspruit in the Free State, White River in Mpumalanga, Tierpoort near Bloemfontein in Free State, Nsuze near Appelbosch in KwaZulu Natal, Middelburg in Mpumalanga, Mookgophong in Limpopo, Clocolan in the Free State and Tweespruit, also in the Free State. A total of 54 lives were lost in these crashes and the Free State province was the worst affected,” Nzimande said as he delivered the Preliminary 2018 Festive Season Road Safety statement in Pretoria last year.

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