Stuck in the snow

A man and wife and their 6 month old baby called in to ER24 with desperate pleas for help after their car got stuck in the snow on the N3 a few kilometers before the Mooirivier Toll Plaza. They were traveling between Johannesburg and Durban when they suddenly could not drive any further due to the snow lying thick on the road.

Panicked about the fact that they no longer had food for their baby with them, and the child’s father being an asthmatic, they desperately needed someone to come to their rescue. Pietermaitzburg paramedics made their way along the N3 to try and assist the family, but shortly before Nottingham road they too could go no further.

Trucks, light motor vehicles, taxis, emergency vehicles and rescuers were all stuck in the snow, either having slid into each other, off the road into ditches or just could not travel any further due to the chaos in front of them. Multiple ambulances, response cars and the police rescue unit were amongst those vehicles trapped, not able to move.

Paramedics could absolutely not get through the traffic. They described it as there being more than 100 vehicles stuck in front of them, and these only that they could see. Fortunately it appeared that no one had been injured, and everyone would just have to stay put where they were until more help arrived.

Unfortunately for the family that initially called in for assistance, there would be no way for rescuers or paramedics to get through from the Pietermaitzburg side and another plan needed to be made for them. The army had allegedly been called in with their heavy duty vehicles to begin the rescue and removal of vehicles.

With the dispatcher in the ER24 national Contact Centre in constant contact with the family, they remain calm in their car being given advice on what to do. For now, they will have to make sure that they do not panic as help is on the way. They mentioned that they can see another couple of vehicles in front of them, leaving them not completely alone.

At this time it is not clear as to how long the vehicles will be stuck for or how long the rescue will take.

Luckily in the greater parts of Johannesburg, temperatures have increased slightly with the snow turning into rain, also melting most of the snow that had been lying on the ground thereby preventing the same chaos from occurring as is taking place in PMB.

- ER24