Durban — A pedestrian was left seriously injured after being hit by a vehicle on a pedestrian crossing.
Midlands EMS spokesperson Roland Robertson said the Midlands EMS control room received multiple calls for a pedestrian who had been knocked down in Howick on Main Street on Friday.
Robertson said that on the arrival of paramedics, it was found that a pedestrian was in a critical condition and required urgent advanced life support treatment.
“The patient was stabilised on the scene before being transported to a nearby private hospital,” Robertson said.
He said the exact cause of the accident is under investigation by local authorities.
Robertson also thanked all the bystanders who stopped to assist.
Reacting to the incident, Janet Sneyd said: “Thank you Midlands EMS for responding so timeously. Our prayers go out to the lady and her family. We pray for you and your crew every day too.”
Police spokesperson Colonel Robert Netshiunda confirmed the incident.
“Reports indicate that the driver was overtaking at a designated pedestrian crossing when he allegedly knocked down a pedestrian,” Netshiunda said.
Meanwhile, when former Minister of Transport Fikile Mbalula released the 2022 festive season preliminary statistics in January, he said pedestrian fatalities remain a major source of concern. Pedestrian fatalities significantly increased by 10% year-on-year, from 31% in the previous period to 41% in the current festive season. Simply put, out of every 100 road crash fatalities, 41 are pedestrians.
In Gauteng and the Western Cape pedestrian fatalities constitute 54% of all fatalities, suggesting that of every 100 people who died from a road crash, 54 were pedestrians.
Mbalula said road users must at all times appreciate that the road is a shared space and drivers have the responsibility to look out for pedestrians and cyclists, while these road users must also behave in a safe manner.
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