The N4 route between the Valencia link and Riverside Park is now open to traffic after being closed since 08:00 this morning.
The closure was to allow Van Wettens towing company to retrieve the articulated truck that was involved in a dramatic accident yesterday (April 24).
ALSO READ: Rescue mission under way as articulated truck plunges down steep embankment on N4 bypass
The truck went down a 50m embankment after the driver lost control at about 10:00. The driver and his passenger were trapped inside the truck’s mangled cabin.
The passenger was rescued two hours later and transported to Rob Ferreira hospital by Emer-G-Med while emergency crews worked until 18:00 to extract the driver who was severely pinned in the wreckage.
ALSO READ: UPDATE: Truck driver’s leg nearly amputated in 8-hour rescue mission on N4 in Mbombela
The driver sustained serious injuries to his legs and narrowly escaped on-site amputation. He was treated on the scene before also being transported to hospital.
@lowvelder A dramatic accident occurred earlier today when an articulated truck plunged down a steep embankment, after ploughing through a barrier and descending into the dense terrain below. Rescue teams are now in a race against time to save the two occupants who, according to Emer-G-Med’s Martin Jeffrey, are alive but trapped in the wreckage. Jeffrey, who is on the scene, stated that accessing the site has proven exceptionally challenging due to adverse weather conditions and the high water levels of the nearby Crocodile River. As a result, rescue teams have been dispatched to undertake the rescue effort. He anticipates this to be a prolonged operation, estimating that the road will remain closed for at least four hours.#mbombela #accident #n4 #mpumalanga
Ropes and boards were used to pull the injured men up the embankment.
