Over sixty people were lucky to escape a burning bus unscathed on the N2 North bound carriageway near the M19 turn-off this evening.

It is thought that the driver of the bus noticed smoke filling the cab and had slowed the bus to a halt in the centre lane. People rushed from the doors at the entire vehicle was engulfed by flames.

Traffic on the freeway was closed while eThekwini Metro Firefighters doused the blaze. Obstructions and delays are expected while the bus is cleared.

No one was injured.

Jeffrey Wicks
Netcare 911

Also view:

Escape and Safety from Vehicle Fire

A seven vehicle pile-up on Umbilo Road near the Sarnia Road junction left twenty five people injured, three seriously, this morning.

It is thought that all seven vehicles, three of which were fully laden minibus taxis, were travelling west on Umbilo Road when a car leading the group braked harshly to avoid traffic calming.

Like dominoes taxis and cars collided with one another, completely blocking the main arterial road. The injured, predominately passengers of the taxis, were treated and stabilised at the scene by Netcare911 Paramedics before they were transported to various hospitals across the city for further medical care.

Delays and traffic obstructions were experienced while emergency service personnel cleared the scene.

Jeffrey Wicks

Netcare 911

Two men were killed and one hundred and nineteen people, mostly school children, were injured when the bus they were travelling in left the P100 near Ndwedwe, north-west of Durban last night.

It is though that the bus, laden to capacity with school children from a local primary school, had been returning from the funeral of their school’s headmaster in Umzinyathi. Many children were accompanied by their teachers and parents.

It is thought that the driver was bound for Ndwedwe and while navigating a steep incline on an uneven gravel track, lost control of the packed bus which left the road before rolling several times and coming to rest on its roof against an electricity pole.

The force of the rollover crushed the roof of the bus onto the seats, trapping some occupants inside. Most managed to clamber out of the wrecked bus through small spaces between the windows opening and the ground.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived on scene to find bodies of the dead and injured dotting the hillscape. They immediately initiated disaster control measures and set about treating the injured.

One critically injured man was stabilised by Netcare911 Advanced Life Support Paramedics at the scene before he was airlifted by the Netcare3 Aeromedical helicopter to a Durban hospital for further definitive medical care.

The scores of wounded were transported by Netcare911 and EMRS ambulances to various hospitals and clinics in the area.

Jeffrey Wicks
Netcare 911

A woman was killed and three people injured when a car struck a pedestrian while on its way to a wedding in Durban on Friday, KwaZulu-Natal paramedics said.

The driver apparently swerved to avoid someone running in the road, mounted the curb, hit a pedestrian and came to a halt against a tree on Woodview Drive, Phoenix, Netcare 911 spokesperson Jeff Wicks said in a statement.

An elderly woman, in the back seat of the car, died as a result of head injuries she sustained. The driver, front seat passenger and pedestrian were stabilised at the scene and taken to hospital.

- SAPA

Springbok scrumhalf Ricky Januarie will perform 20 hours of community service after drunk-driving charges against him were withdrawn in the Bellville Magistrate’s Court on Friday.

Januarie was ordered to coach rugby at schools selected by the National Institute for Crime Prevention and Re-integration of Offenders (NICRO).

He is expected to do this community service between February 8 and July 31 in the Elsies River community on the Cape Flats.

Prosecutor Marco Chandler said the decision by the Western Cape Directorate for Public Prosecutions (DPP) was in line with the “diversion system”, in which young offenders were punished for crimes without subjecting them to the trauma of a criminal trial and the devastation of a criminal record if convicted.

The DPP excused Januarie from community service from March 29 to April 27, when he will be abroad with the Stormers. They will be playing Super 14 matches against the Western Force in Perth on April 2, the Blues in Auckland on April 10, the Chiefs in Hamilton on April 16, and the Reds in Brisbane on April 23.

Magistrate Helma Smit reminded Januarie that there were thousands of young people who regarded him as a role model, and that his offence had sent the wrong message to them.

She said she hoped the rugby star would “make full use of this opportunity”.

Januarie has been on trial since last year and during that time failed to appear in court twice - once with the consent of the court and the other without - while he was overseas with the Springboks and then playing for the Ospreys in Wales.

The court case stemmed from a motor car collision in Durbanville in September 2008.

His blood report reflected a blood-alcohol level of 0.18 percent, more than three times the legal limit of 0.05 percent.

Januarie was represented in court by attorney Frikkie Erasmus, who assured the court he had fully explained the diversion system to Januarie, and that the charge would be re-instituted if he failed in any manner to perform the community service as required.

SAPA

For Rugby News visit www.15.co.za

A man was seriously injured in a side-impact accident along Petrus Bosch road in Welkom this afternoon. Details of the accident are still speculative and remain a subject for police investigation.

Netcare 911 and provincial paramedics arrived on scene to find the driver of the Golf still in the mangled remains of his car. Paramedics deftly removed the patient from the vehicle, and after he was stabilised they transported him to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

Chris Botha

Netcare 911

Much has been said about security in South Africa at the time of the World Cup. The average football supporter need not be overly cautious and worry about wearing bullet proof vests etc. Sporting events such as the Confederations Cup, Lions Rugby Tour and the IPL cricket tournament have proved that South Africa is well capable of hosting International Sporting Events.

But what if you are the executive of a multi-million dollar company and the lives of tens of thousands of employees and family members depend on your well-being? The harsh reality is that, even if the dangers of hijacking might be very remote – we cannot wish them away – and there are options to consider enhancing your safety…

What is the best way to protect vehicle occupants against hijackings?

Armoured vehicles are not new to our own country and need not be massively large vehicles which are difficult to drive. The ArmorMax range of vehicle protection has been introduced to South Africa with the help of Investment Cars in Bryanston.

These vehicles are on average at least 40%- 60% lighter than anything the market has ever known. And it is absolutely invisible, as the rebated and curved laminated glass fits the design contours perfectly. The specialists will tell you, having invisible armour is one of the first principles of safety. Else, you might as well paint a bull’s eye on your dashboard.

Why the decision to use ArmorMax?

ArmorMax was chosen as the ideal level of protection for the South African market, where curbside highjackings pose the biggest threat. It might be important to share a brief description of the technology used and protection provided:

With a lightweight solution aimed at a B4 level of security, every piece of glass on your vehicles is replaced with a bullet-proof layer, and the passenger compartment is cocooned in impenetrable materials. That is, impenetrable to handguns up to a .44 Magnum, one of the most powerful handguns on the market. The laminated glass sounds different when you tap on the outside when on the inside.

The outside layers absorb the initial impact and spray back shards that might be lethal to a close-up assailant. The inner layers are flexible and contain the rest of the energy while bending as far as necessary to make sure no impact blasts through to the passenger compartment. On the chassis and doors, old-fashioned steel has been replaced by an amazing material developed to maintain design principles such as the maintenance of performance and appearance. This lightweight, synthetic fibre laminate, made out of polycarbons, looks like a doormat, yet can withstand the impact and penetration of most bullets.

Local agent Investment Cars decided to kick off ArmorMax by stocking up for seven of the most popular models on Johannesburg roads. No, not their Lamborghini’s nor their Porsches. But if you own a Range Rover, a Jeep Cherokee, BMW X5, Volvo XE90, Toyota Landcruiser or a Mercedes ML, S or E class, you can drive in for a ready-fit armour solution that will only take a few days. And when planning the purchase of a new vehicle, speak to Grant Anderson at Investment Cars, as both finance and insurance options will accommodate your investment in private armour.

Also view:

• Avoiding Hijacking

Hijack Prevention and Road Safety

Three people were seriously injured when two cars collided head-on on the M13 Pinetown bound carriageway near Blair Atholl Road last night.

It is thought that the driver and passenger of a white Toyota Camry joined the M13 contra-flow at the Rockdale Road Bridge and been rounding a blind corner in the fast lane when they slammed into a private security vehicle.

Netcare911 Paramedics and Netcare911’s Specialised Rescue Unit officer Konrad Jones responding to the scene and found the security vehicle wedged against the roadside Armco barrier with the seriously injured driver trapped in the crumpled metal.

The other vehicle had come to rest nearby and the front seat passenger was entrapped in the car. Jones set about using the Jaws of Life to cut the men free. Once they were removed from their cars they were treated and stabilised at the scene before they were transported to area hospitals by ambulance fro further emergency medical care.

Jeffrey Wicks
Netcare 911

It is thought that the rider of an unidentified superbike proceed through the intersection heading away from the city centre and struck one man crossing the road. Without stopping he fled the scene and hit another man and pinned him between the motorcycle and a bakkie.

The first man sustained an open fracture to his right leg and was treated and stabilised by Netcare911 Paramedics at the scene before he was rushed by ambulance to an area hospital.

The second man sustained multiple fractures to both legs and was also seen to medics at the roadside before he was rushed by private ambulance to hospital for further definitive care.

The motorcyclist then fled the scene and is being sought by police.

Jeffrey Wicks
Netcare 911

One man was killed and another critically injured when the vehicle they were travelling in collided with a truck before rolling several times on the N3 Pietermaritzburg bound carriageway near the Candella Road Bridge this evening. The car was reported stolen in a hijacking in Berea Road minutes before the smash and both men are alleged to be hijackers.

It is thought that the two were making their escape in a stolen VW Polo on the N3 when the driver lost control of the car in wet weather conditions. The vehicle spun out and collided with an articulated truck.

The VW Polo left the road and rolled repeatedly, ejecting one of the men, before coming to rest beneath the bridge.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived to find a critically injured man in the crumpled wreckage of the car. Netcare911 Advanced Life Support Paramedic Garrith Jamieson and his team carefully extricated the man before he was intubated and placed on a manual ventilator. He was transported to Addington Hospital under police guard.

His cohort is thought to have been killed on impact when he was thrown from the spinning vehicle.

Jeffrey Wicks

Netcare 911