IT’s been only a week since schools opened, but the province has had two major accidents involving taxis transporting pupils to school.
Yesterday morning 24 schoolkids, aged between five and 13 years, escaped with their lives when the taxi they were travelling in veered off the road and crashed into a nearby house in Cato Manor near Chesterville in Durban.
The overloaded taxi was transporting pupils to different primary schools when the accident happened.
A witness, who was standing near a spaza shop close to the house the taxi crashed into, said: “The taxi was speeding down the road.
“When it reached the intersection somehow its driver failed to control it and he went off the road and crashed into a house.
“The kids were shocked and traumatised. We quickly ran to help them and immediately called ambulances.”
Spokeswoman for Rescue Care Paramedics, Ceron Lennox, said the accident happened at the corner of Holy Road and Umthini Fast Avenue.
“Just after 6.30am, Rescue Care Paramedics were called to the scene.
“On arrival they found a single taxi transporting school children aged between five and 13 had left the road and crashed into a house.
“A total of 24 school children had suffered various injuries,” she said.
More ambulances were called to assist with the multiple casualty scene.
“Once all the injured had been stabilised they were transported to Durban hospitals for further care,” she added.
This is the second taxi accident carrying schoolkids.
- Last week four pupils, aged between 13 and 16, died when a taxi transporting 21 kids to school collided with a bus in Ntuzuma, north of Durban.
The 29-year-old driver of that taxi is still in custody after he was denied bail on Monday.
Three of the kids will be laid to rest on Saturday. One will be buried on Sunday.
