Four people have been killed in a horrific crash where a speeding tow truck failed to negotiate a bend and overturned hitting four children on Chatsworth Main Road in Umhlatuzana on Friday morning.
Two of the children and the tow truck driver died on the spot while a third child succumbed to his injuries in hospital.
The four children were on their way to school when the accident happened.
Paramedics arrived at the scene to find scores of bystanders looking on as emergency personnel tackled the carnage and the injuries of the children.
Reports from the scene allege that the tow truck was travelling down the road when the driver attempted to overtake another vehicle on a bend. The truck, which was carrying a forklift, lost control and left the road.
Witnesses alleged reckless driving on the tow truck driver’s part.
He lost control and crashed into the front yard of a nearby house, with the children unfortunately finding themselves in the middle.
This left two children dead, with a further two being rushed to hospital in a critical state.
It was also confirmed that the driver of the tow truck had his leg decapitated in the crash, as he too succumbed to his injuries at the scene.
ALS Paramedics spokesperson, Garrith Jamieson, released a statement on the incident.
The tow truck was carrying a forklift when the driver allegedly lost control.
“Just after 8am on Friday, ALS Paramedics received numerous calls about a horrific collision on Chatsworth Main Road in Umhlatuzana.
Upon arrival, paramedics found total carnage. A low-bed tow truck with a load had somehow lost control and collided with four children walking to school and overturned coming to rest on its roof. Immediately, more resources were requested to assist with the multiple casualty scene.
A triage of the scene was done and it was found that the driver of the truck, believed to be in his 30s, and two children, approximately aged six and nine, had sustained major injuries.
Unfortunately, there was nothing more paramedics could do for them and they were declared dead at the scene. Two other children were found to be injured. One child, aged approximately ten-years-old, had sustained critical injuries and was stabilised by ALS Paramedics before being rushed to a nearby hospital for the urgent care that he required.
A second child had sustained moderate injuries and was also stabilised at the scene by ALS Paramedics before being transported to a nearby hospital,” Jamieson said.
Police are investigating the cause of the accident.
The principal of the Umhlatuzana Primary School attended the scene and she positively identified her pupils.
Speeding tow truck ploughs into school kids killing 4 on Chatsworth Main road in Umhlatuzana earlierhttps://t.co/QISUNyyyRs pic.twitter.com/fkH8OAQ1X3
— SA Trucker (@rsa_trucker) August 11, 2023
