Over 20 deaths and 50 injured in recent bakkie collisions

ER24 is urging the public to consider the implications of transporting people on the back of bakkies or any other open vehicles, after over 20 deaths and more than 50 injuries have occurred around the country in less than six weeks.

These shocking statistics relate only to incidents attended to by ER24.

Chitra Bodasing, ER24 spokesperson said, “Standing or sitting on the back of bakkies or open trucks, as well as overloading the vehicle, can result in serious injuries and death regardless of what speed you are travelling at. You cannot guarantee the safety of your passengers. People should also be aware that sitting on the back of a bakkie with a canopy does not guarantee safety. We have attended to people who were injured when the canopy of the bakkie they were in detached.”

Over the past few weeks paramedics have attended to several incidents involving people who sadly lost their lives as a result of being ejected from the back of open vehicles.

Injuries sustained ranged from minor to critical. Some injuries sustained included traumatic amputations, severe head injuries and multiple fractures.

Collisions included the death of several children, including a one-year-old baby. The most recent incidents included that of a bakkie allegedly losing control and colliding with a fence and house in Pietermaritzburg on 29 January. Seven children died and several others were injured.

This was followed by another collision that claimed 10 lives on the N3 close to London Road, Gauteng, just two days later.

“We also urge people to make sure their vehicles are roadworthy, not to drive while under the influence of drugs and alcohol, to make sure they buckle up and ensure children are in the appropriate restraints.”