A woman was extracted from her car with the Jaws of Life after an accident involving five cars, a truck and a fuel tanker on the N3 highway in Bedfordview on Tuesday afternoon. The road was closed in both directions after the accident, leading to major traffic disruptions in the area.
Ekurhuleni metro police spokesperson Inspector Jimmy Maboko said the driver of a truck with two semi-trailers lost control at 2.50pm between the Van Buuren offramp and Gillooly’s Interchange, direction north, and hit three cars.
The truck then crashed through the N3’s steel barriers into traffic travelling south.
In trying to avoid a head-on collision with the truck, a diesel tanker hit a BMW and its driver lost control. The tanker crossed the steel barriers and stopped, partly on the N3 south and partly on the N3 north.
The truck, travelling in oncoming traffic, then hit a Mazda.
The tanker spilled diesel from its own fuel tank on to the road but not from the main tank it was carrying, Maboko said.
The 30-year-old female BMW driver was removed from her car using the Jaws of Life and had moderate injuries, he said. The 40-year-old male Mazda driver also had moderate injuries.
The 30-year-old woman who was driving the tanker sustained slight injuries.
Netcare 911 spokesperson Nick Dollman said paramedics attended to five people at the scene. Four were taken to hospitals in the area, he said.
Police have opened a case for investigation at the Bedfordview police station. — Sapa