Nine schoolchildren were injured on Monday afternoon after a scholar transport vehicle was involved in a collision with a bakkie along Lena Ahrens Road near Rhodes Avenue in Glenwood, Durban. The incident, which occurred during peak afternoon traffic as learners were being transported home, prompted a swift response from paramedics and emergency services.
According to ALS Paramedics spokesperson Garrith Jamison, emergency teams arrived at the scene to find that a taxi being used as scholar transport had collided with a bakkie in what appeared to be a T-bone crash. The exact circumstances that led to the accident remain unclear, and authorities are still investigating the events preceding the collision.
Jamison said paramedics immediately began assessing the situation upon arrival. “When paramedics reached the scene, they found a taxi carrying schoolchildren that had been involved in a serious collision with a bakkie. Nine children of various ages sustained injuries of differing severity,” he explained. Due to the number of injured learners, additional ambulances were dispatched to assist with the emergency response.
The injured children were carefully triaged at the scene to determine the seriousness of their injuries. Medical personnel worked to stabilise them before transporting them to several hospitals across Durban for further treatment. Jamison confirmed that the injuries ranged from minor to moderate, and all the affected children received the necessary medical attention.
The crash caused concern among parents, motorists, and residents in the Glenwood area, where Lena Ahrens Road is known to be a busy route, especially during school drop-off and pick-up times. Traffic disruptions were reported while emergency services worked to secure the scene and ensure the safe removal of the vehicles involved.
This incident comes just a week after a similar scholar transport accident in the Durban area. In that earlier crash, nine children were also injured when their scholar transport reportedly lost control and crashed into a tree near Sarnia Primary School in Pinetown, west of Durban. Paramedics at the time indicated that the children in that accident also suffered injuries ranging from minor to moderate.
The two incidents, occurring within a short space of time, have renewed concerns about the safety of scholar transport vehicles and the conditions under which children are transported to and from school. Road safety advocates have repeatedly called for stricter enforcement of traffic laws, regular vehicle inspections, and improved driver training to reduce the risk of such accidents.
Parents and community members have also urged authorities to prioritise the safety of learners, particularly during peak travel hours when roads are congested. While investigations into the Glenwood crash continue, officials are expected to release more information once the cause of the accident has been determined.
In the meantime, emergency services have commended the rapid response of paramedics and hospital staff, noting that their prompt action played a critical role in ensuring that the injured children received timely and appropriate medical care.