Just after midnight on 24 June, the driver of a white Nissan SUV appears to have lost control of his vehicle on the N14 highway near the Jean Road turnoff heading towards Pretoria.
Terence Teixeira, from the Matrix Road Safety Association, arrived at the scene and reported that it appeared that the vehicle rolled up an embankment crashing through a palisade fence of a local business and came to a stop in a storm water duct. “Fortunately no other vehicles were involved in the accident,” he says.
Emer-G-Med medics were first on the scene and struggled to reach the critically injured man. “Once the medics managed to assess the injured man, they called for Advanced Life Support paramedics who arrived within minutes. The critically injured man was treated and stabilised by the Emer-G-Med paramedics before being airlifted to hospital. The cause of the accident remains unknown at this stage,” says Teixeira.
Teixeira urges drivers to be extra cautious when driving on the highways, especially at night. “During the winter months it gets darker earlier and motorists need to slow down and turn on their lights. Maintain a good following distance at all times and try to avoid driving when you are fatigued. Many road accidents are the result of drivers not getting proper rest and this becomes even more common at night when it is far easier to fall asleep at the wheel,” he advises.
For more information on the Matrix Road Safety Association visit www.matrix.co.za