This morning, sixteen people were injured when their taxi overturned and crashed into an estate wall on the N1 between the Van Riebeck and Cecilia offramp in Paarl.
ER24, Metro EMS and other services arrived at 07h57 to find the taxi on its roof on the side of the road against a wall. Five adults were found lying in the taxi, while eleven others were lying around the vehicle.
Fire Services had to use specialised equipment to open up the taxi and free the patients.
Once the vehicle was open, medics assessed the patients and found that one was in a critical condition while three were in a serious condition. Twelve others had sustained minor to moderate injuries.
Medics treated the patients and provided the critically and seriously injured with advanced life support interventions before being transported to nearby hospitals for further care.
According to provincial police spokesperson, Warrant Officer Joseph Swartbooi, the taxi was travelling in the direction of Cape Town.
“The driver of the vehicle lost control and the vehicle rolled. Sixteen passengers were transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment.”
“Paarl police registered a case of reckless and negligent driving for further investigation,” Swartbooi said.