Tanker driver pulled to safety suffers serious burns

The driver of a tanker which overturned and caught alight suffered serious burns after he was pulled to safety by Good Samaritans outside Pietermaritzburg on Thursday.

Mi7 Emergency Medical Services responded to the crash on the N3 Pietermaritzburg-bound carriageway near the Peter Brown Drive offramp just after 10.30am.

As the N3 was closed and vehicles already backed up, the advanced life support unit was unable to reach the scene by road.

“Paramedics grabbed their medical equipment, left their response vehicle behind and continued on foot for more than a kilometre to reach the patient.

“On arrival crews found that a truck carrying diesel had lost control and crashed before catching alight. With the truck already well engulfed in flames, bystanders and fellow truck drivers had managed to pull the driver from the vehicle and move him down the embankment,” the emergency services company said.

They found the driver suffering from severe burns. He was stabilised and taken to hospital.

Pietermaritzburg firefighters battled the blaze, while the road traffic inspectorate dealt with removing traffic from the immediate area due to the danger posed by the burning diesel tanker.