KZN traffic officers seriously injured by ‘speeding’ taxi at toll plaza

Two traffic officers were seriously injured when they were struck by a taxi while on duty a few metres from the Mooi River toll plaza on the N3 in KwaZulu-Natal on Friday.

Private emergency services company Midlands EMS responded to numerous calls alerting them to an accident on the N3 near the Mooi River off-ramp.

Spokesperson Roland Robertson said when they arrived at the scene they discovered a traffic officer and an officer from the Mpofana municipality had been run over while on duty.

“Both were in a serious condition and required urgent advanced life-support treatment. After stabilisation, both patients were transported to a level-1 trauma hospital for further care,” said Robertson.

One passenger in the taxi had minor injuries.

It is believed the officers were outside their vehicle stopping trucks and directing them to the weigh bridge when a speeding taxi allegedly struck them and their vehicle. 

Robertson said authorities were still at the scene. 

Meanwhile, the N3 Toll Concession urged motorists to be on high alert as they made their way to their Easter weekend destinations.

Traffic volumes of between 1,000 and 1,500 cars an hour were expected to be flowing into Durban on the N3 on Thursday and Friday, it said, adding that northbound traffic (towards Gauteng) was likely from Monday.

Expected volumes are predicted to peak at about 2,000 vehicles an hour during the day.

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