At around 06h00 this morning Netcare 911 and Provincial fire and rescue services responded to a call in Pretoria where a truck had lost control and come to a standstill on the railway lines. An approaching commuter train hit the truck with some force, having insufficient time and space to stop.
A number of commuters were injured in the incident, and they were treated at the scene, some requiring transport to hospital. The train driver sustained the worst injuries out of everyone involved as she was trapped within the driver compartment for a little over three hours, rescue personnel used a combination of heavy duty hydraulic tools and specialised cutting equipment to free her. Extended rescue time was due to the thickness of the trains bodywork.
The Netcare 911 helicopter airlifted the patient from the scene to Netcare Unitas hospital.
Her injuries included a mild head injury and blunt trauma to her legs and a suspected pelvic fracture. A badly fractured pelvis was confirmed once treatment was underway at the hospital and x-ray results were available.
The truck was completely wrecked and at the time the driver was nowhere to be found.
[ Information provided by Netcare 911 to the Road Safety and Arrive Alive Blog]
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