Accidents claim 5 in Gauteng

2011-12-11 10:22

Johannesburg - Three people were killed when a bakkie and a car collided on the N1 near the N12 split in Johannesburg late on Saturday night.

Netcare 911 spokesperson Jeffrey Wicks said the cause of the accident and the series of events leading up to it were unclear.

It seemed as if the driver of the bakkie had attempted to execute a U-turn on the freeway and while doing so, the car collided with it.

 Both skidded to rest near the initial point of impact.

Paramedics arrived on the scene to find that the driver of the bakkie, as well as two occupants of the car, had been killed on impact.

Another woman was in a critical condition and was transported to a hospital.

In another accident in Gauteng, two men were killed and 15 others injured, three of them seriously, when the taxi in they were travelling overturned on the N1 near the Grasmere toll plaza.

Wicks said it seemed as if a rear tire had punctured, causing the driver to lose control.

The taxi overturned and rolled repeatedly.

When paramedics arrived, they found two men had en flung from the wreckage as it rolled. They had died from the impact.

The others clambered from the wreck and stood waiting nearby.

All of them were treated before they were transported to hospital.