Motorists in Durban were stuck in traffic for up to four hours after a horrific, peak-hour accident on Wednesday.
|||Motorists were stuck in traffic for up to four hours on Wednesday after a seven-vehicle pile-up on the N2 northbound near the Westwood Mall.
One person was killed and 29 others were injured in the peak-hour collision, which involved two cars, a taxi and four trucks.
ER24 spokesman Derrick Banks said the N2 was closed while emergency crews treated the injured and worked to clear the scene.
“We found that the taxi had been squeezed between two trucks. One person died and 29 others were treated for injuries ranging from minor to critical,” he said.
When paramedics arrived at the scene, four people were still trapped in the taxi and were in a critical condition.
“One passenger from the taxi had died and five people, including the taxi driver, were in a critical condition.
“Two were airlifted to Prince Mshiyeni and Inkosi Albert Luthuli hospitals. One of the truck drivers sustained minor injuries,” Banks said.
Transport Department spokeswoman Zinhle Mngomezulu said that traffic on the N2 had backed up to such an extent that not even traffic officials could get to the scene.
“After the collision, one of the trucks ended up in the fast lane, the taxi was on the median and another truck was in the slow lane. All lanes heading north were blocked… Traffic was backed up several kilometres,” she said.
The freeway was reopened at about 7.30pm. - The Mercury