Drunk drivers, fatal car accidents and pedestrians knocked down on first day of level 3

As the country entered level 3 of the coronavirus lockdown on Monday, which saw millions of people returning to work, travel time restrictions being eased and liquor stores open for operation, Arrive Alive noted several incidents of arrests of drunk drivers and fatal road accidents.

In one incident, a motorist lost her life in a tragic accident in Ndwedwe Mission in KwaZulu-Natal. She had been travelling with five other people when the accident occurred.

Arrive Alive said members of the Reaction Unit SA (Rusa) rushed to the scene after receiving  multiple calls from the public and family of the injured reporting the accident.

“Rusa Medics responded and on arrival found that all six occupants of a grey Hyundai i20 had been ejected from the vehicle which was lying on its roof. A woman who was identified as the driver died at the scene while five passengers sustained serious injuries,” Arrive Alive said.

“A 19-year-old boy was airlifted to a hospital in Pietermaritzburg while the remaining injured were transported to local hospitals by ambulance. It is alleged that while travelling on the dark stretch of road the driver lost control of the vehicle causing it to overturn multiple times,” the group said.

Meanwhile, a suspected drunken driver was arrested after he allegedly crashed his vehicle into that of an off-duty traffic officer in Verulam.

“When members of Reaction Unit SA (Rusa) arrived on scene they established that an off-duty traffic officer was stationary at the stop street on Buffelsdraai Road and Oakford Drive in his Hyundai Elantra when he was knocked from the back by a Ford Bantam bakkie,” Arrive Alive said in a statement.

“A toddler was in the Hyundai Elantra at the time. The driver of the bakkie was suspected of being under the influence of alcohol. On arrival of the SAPS the driver of the bakkie was placed under arrest,” Arrive Alive said.

Meanwhile, paramedics who were attending to another accident scene on the N3 in KwaZulu-Natal narrowly escaped being killed by a motorist.

Arrive Alive said the paramedics from KwaZulu Private Ambulance Service were attending to a vehicle that had lost control and rolled several times when another motorist allegedly almost ploughed into them.

“While paramedics were attending to the scene, another vehicle lost control and crashed, narrowly missing emergency vehicles and sending paramedics diving for safely,” Arrive Alive said.

“One paramedic sustained injuries and was treated on scene and transported to hospital for further treatment,” Arrive Alive said.

Several pedestrians were also killed on the roads on Monday.

One was knocked down by a truck in Kempton Park, Gauteng, while another was hit by a bakkie in Vryheid in KwaZulu-Natal.