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Toddler killed, 36 injured in Wilderness bus crash, after bus carrying rugby supporters left road
A two-year-old boy was killed and 36 people injured, after a bus carrying a rugby team, staff, supporters and family members crashed down an embankment in the Wilderness area near George. The incident happened on Saturday night, 21 May 2022, after the bus apparently lost control on Heights Road, between Wilderness Village and Wilderness Heights. The bus' brakes had apparently failed. It is believed that the bus was travelling back to Wittedrift close to Plettenberg Bay. The team had apparently played rugby at NMU George Campus. "They had apparently taken this road through the back of Wilderness to connect to the N2 as the Saasveld road is closed due to flood damage," said ER24 spokesperson Ross Campbell.
Campbell said paramedics were on the scene at 18h30 during load shedding along with the George Fire Department, Metro Rescue, Metro EMS and two other private emergency medical services. "The bus was found down an embankment at about an 80-degree angle on its side, having crashed through a private residence's deck." The two-year-old suffered fatal injuries, while two men in their 30s were found trapped in the vehicle and in a critical condition, Campbell said. He added that the men required advanced life support interventions; however, their extraction took a long time with the combined effort that Metro Rescue led. The men were transported to the hospital for further care. The other 34 victims, which included women and children, were treated and transported to the hospital for minor injuries. Brigadier Nolan Michaels of George Police, several other police officers and towing services visited the scene of the accident on Sunday morning to recover the bus, which came to a stop next to a house. Ben Brinkhuis, incoming president of SWD rugby, told the George Herald that the boy is the grandson of Excelsior rugby club’s vice-chairman. Police were on the scene for further investigations. |
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