M7 lives up to its ‘death trap’ nickname

THE M7 highway running through the Queensburgh area, connecting the southern and western parts of Durban, has already seen many accidents this year.

In past years, Queensbugh residents, who are forced to use the motorway as both passengers and motorists, have described it as a “death trap” due to the high incidence of fatal accidents which take place on the road each month.

The latest accident last week on Friday, 7 February, left one woman dead and four others critically injured, according to paramedics.

“Around 7.30am this morning Rescue Care paramedics responded to a serious head-on collision on the M7 westbound near the N3 off-ramp. On arrival paramedics found that two cars had collided before both vehicles had veered through the centre median and collided head-on with one vehicle,” said Rescue Care spokesperson, Garrith Jamieson.

According to Jamieson, two people were caught in the resulting wreckage. “The jaws of life had to be used to free them from the wreckage,” he said adding that one of the women had sustained major injuries and was declared dead on the scene.

ALSO READ:  Woman dies, four injured in M7 collision

“A further total of four people sustained injuries ranging from minor to critical and were stabilised on scene by paramedics before being transported to hospital.”

“Traffic was severely affected and SAPS was there to investigate the cause of this accident,” said Jamieson in a voice note.

Shooting

The road has also seen more than its fair share of crime-related incidents too.

In January this year a woman was left for dead by suspects who had hijacked her vehicle. The woman, in her 30s, was left a critical condition after she was shot multiple times and left on the M7 freeway, near Main Road in Northdene, on the afternoon of Monday, 13 January.

ALSO READ: Woman shot multiple times, left on M7 freeway

She later died of her injuries in hospital just over a week later. According to KZN police spokesperson, Col Thembeka Mbele, the 30-year-old woman was found by a motorist lying in the middle of the M7, towards Pinetown, with multiple gunshot wounds on her chest, arm and abdomen.

The woman was allegedly shot inside an unknown vehicle and dumped in the middle of the road. The suspect then allegedly fled the scene. At present no updates on the investigation into the suspect connected to this shooting have been reported.

Truck blaze

In November last year a horrific accident claimed the life of one person and left several others seriously injured when multiple vehicles, including a tanker and construction truck, were involved in a collision resulting in the vehicles bursting into flames.

Traffic was backed up for most of the day and the road closed while aero-medical helicopters airlifted patients and fire fighters fought to douse the flames and other services cleared the road.

Police in attendance also investigated the crash and Malvern SAPS reported a case of culpable homicide had been opened and the driver of one of the trucks arrested.

“It is alleged that vehicles were stationary in the morning traffic when a horse and trailer, carrying chrome, failed to stop and rammed into the vehicles, subsequently bursting into flames on impact,” said W/O Radhika Marimuthu of Malvern SAPS.

“The other vehicles involved in the collision were a tanker, a one-ton bakkie, a construction vehicle, a polo and six other vehicles,” added Marimuthu, explaining that a man on the back of the bakkie fell off due to the impact and succumbed to his injuries at the scene.

ALSO READ: Further charges expected in culpable homicide investigation of M7 horror crash

“The horse and trailer driver attempted to abscond the scene but was apprehended by Metro,” said Marimuthu, who said the whole scene was cordoned off and evacuated by law enforcement.

“The deceased was taken to the mortuary by the mortuary vehicle. A charge of culpable homicide has been registered and is being investigated by Malvern SAPS. Further charges will be added,” said Marimuthu.

Earlier last year, three people died in a single accident which took place near the intersection with the N2 overpass, under which the road runs, while just this week a teenager had to be airlifted following an early morning accident in which a SUV collided with a truck near the Rossburgh testing grounds at the intersection of the M7 and Titren Road.

ALSO READ: VIDEO: Critically injured teen airlifted following M7 accident

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