Rise in KZN pedestrian deaths

2009-01-07 18:11

Durban - There was a 6% increase in pedestrian deaths in KwaZulu-Natal over the festive season compared to the 2007 holidays, Netcare 911 regional manager Peter Feurstein said on Wednesday.

In the same period, there was a 7.4% decrease in motor vehicle accidents, Feurstein said on the release of Netcare 911 emergency figures for the festive season.

Children were getting injured and killed in car accidents due to a lack of proper restraint, he said.

"...Many [were] as a result of not wearing safety belts or being buckled up safely...," he said.

The average age of patients transported to hospital for car accident injuries was 32 years.

The number of people being shot had also decreased since 2007 and this was no longer listed in Netcare's top emergencies.

Some of the most common emergencies in the province included cardiac and respiratory distress, falls, skeletal and sports injuries, seizures, stabbing and penetrating injuries, strokes as well as diabetic emergencies and comas.

Feurstein said cardiac and respiratory distress calls accounted for almost 40% of Netcare's most prevalent emergencies while 91 people had been admitted to hospital for diabetic emergencies.

- SAPA