Rescue Crews Cut Trapped Driver From Wreckage Following Six-Car Head-On Crash In Kloof Gorge

Kloof, South Africa—Emergency rescue services shut down Bridle Road in Kloof Gorge on Wednesday following a head-on collision involving approximately six vehicles that left a motorist trapped in crushed wreckage.

The accident occurred along a winding downhill section past the local picnic grounds when two oncoming vehicles collided head-on, triggering a immediate secondary chain reaction among trailing cars. The force of the initial impact pushed one passenger sedan into the roadside rock face, crumpling the driver compartment.

Metro EMS Rescue units and private medical responders arrived at the gorge pass to find multiple damaged chassis blocking both traffic lanes. Firefighters immediately stabilized the crushed sedan using mechanical chocks before deploying heavy hydraulic cutters to peel back the vehicle roof.

Rescue technicians labored for nearly forty minutes to free the pinned driver from the tangled steering assembly and dashboard. Paramedics administered field trauma care inside the cabin before lifting the patient onto a spine board for urgent transfer to a nearby Durban hospital.

Additional medical crews evaluated several other drivers and passengers at the scene for minor cuts, whiplash, and blunt force injuries. Durban Metro Police officers completely barricaded access points at both ends of the gorge pass to allow heavy recovery vehicles room to maneuver.

Commuters were instructed to divert to alternative bypass routes as traffic queues backed up into adjacent residential sectors. Wreckage recovery teams worked on the narrow mountain road to hook up the shattered vehicles and clear scattered engine parts.

Municipal cleanup crews swept glass shards and applied sand over leaking radiator fluids to restore traction on the tarmac. Crash investigators systematically photographed tire skid lines leading up to the point of impact to verify if brake failure or lane drifting caused the initial head-on impact.

Durban Metro Police maintained the road closure into Wednesday afternoon while tow trucks finished removing the final damaged vehicles from the gorge pass.