PHOTOS: Too many weekend crashes

MOTORISTS are encouraged to once again drive with extra caution after a weekend of multiple crashes, which have left many with serious injuries and the loss of two cyclists’ lives.

Four people from two separate vehicles were injured in a T-bone collision on the corner of Ridge Road and Kennilworth Road in Berea just after 7pm on Saturday night.

Rescue Care paramedics arrived on the scene to find that two vehicles had collided in the junction. Four people from two vehicles had sustained various injuries and were stabilised on the scene before being transported to various Durban hospitals for further care.

At this stage it is unclear what caused the collision, however SAPS members were on the scene and will be investigating further.

There were a number of crashes and accidents around the city over the weekend, which resulted in serious injuries and loss of life.

In the first incident, on Friday afternoon, two people – including a five-day-old baby – were injured after two vehicles collided on the corner of Deodar Road and Esther Roberts Road in Umbilo.

Garrieth Jamieson, operations director at Rescue Care, said paramedics arrived on the scene to find the two vehicles had collided in the junction. “A mother and her five-day-old baby had been slightly injured and were treated and transported to a nearby hospital for further care,” he explained.

On Saturday morning, a pedestrian was left in a critical condition after a taxi collided with a traffic light and hit him as he walked on the pavement on the corner of Pine Street and Gardiner Street. Jamieson said paramedics arrived on the scene to find the critically-injured pedestrian lying in the road. “Advanced life support paramedics placed the injured man on a manual ventilator to assist with his breathing. Once he had been stabilised, the critically-injured man was rushed to a nearby hospital.”

Later on Saturday afternoon, two people sustained moderate injuries after two vehicles collided at the intersection of Alpine and Umgeni Roads. Two people sustained mild to moderate injuries when the two vehicles collided. They were stabilised before we transported them to hospital. Four people were injured in a T-bone collision on the corner of Ridge Road and Kennilworth Road on Saturday night. Jamieson said paramedics arrived on the scene to find that four people from both vehicles had sustained various injuries.

In the last incident on Sunday morning around 5am, a car ploughed into a group of training cyclists on the M4 north-bound near Broadway. Jamieson said paramedics arrived on the scene to find total carnage. “A group of cyclists had been doing their morning training session when a car collided into them from the rear on the busy highway. Our paramedics assessed both men, believed to be in their thirties. Unfortunately they had both sustained such critical injuries that they had passed away before the paramedics’ arrival. Both were declared deceased at the scene. The vehicle driver had sustained minor injuries,” he added.

Jamieson said it was unclear what led to the collision, however the SAPS accident crime combating unit was on the scene and will be conducting an investigation.

The M4 north-bound carriageway was closed while police investigated the accident.

The two cyclists were revealed to be well-known Durban cyclists, Richard da Silva (46) of Glen Anil and Jared Dwyer (36) of Glenwood.