THIRTY-three commuters were injured in three separate accidents involving taxis in the Pinetown area yesterday afternoon.
The three accidents happened in a space of two hours.
At around 4pm, Netcare 911 and Rescue Care Paramedics attended to a chaotic accident scene on the corner of Shepstone and Otto Volek Roads in New Germany.
Fourteen people were reported injured, and one woman sustained serious injuries.
The Clermont taxi was carrying passengers from the Pinetown taxi rank, most of them returning home from work.
Rescue Care Paramedics director, Garrith Jamieson, said two taxis and a car had collided at the junction. One of the taxis had overturned, coming to rest on its roof.
“More ambulances were called to assist in transporting the injured to hospital. The injured were stabilised and transported to various Durban hospitals.
While working on that scene, paramedics were called to another accident occurred at the corner of Crompton Street and Manchester Road in New Germany.
“Rescue Care paramedics responded to the scene and found that three people had sustained minor injuries. Once stabilised they were transported to a nearby hospital,” said Jamieson.
Just as Rescue Care and Meditech paramedics were finishing transporting the injured patients to hospital, they received a third report of a taxi that had rolled on the M1 near Marianhill SAPS.
“Paramedics responded and found that sixteen people had sustained various injuries. They were also stabilised and transported to various Durban hospitals,” stated Jamieson.
The other two accidents took place just hours after a taxi flipped along Old main Road in Pinetown after colliding with a car.
One person was injured all the other people involved escaped uninjured.
SAPS and Metro Police were in attendance at all three collisions, and will be investigating the causes.
