No critical injuries or fatalities occurred in a collision involving a Free State Department of Health EMS patient bus and two light motor vehicles, despite one of the private vehicles being badly damaged.

The accident happened during rush hour at the intersection of McGregor Road and the N8 highway in Bloemfontein on Tuesday 21 April.

Mondli Mvambi, spokesperson for the department, confirmed that three people – the driver of the state patient vehicle and two occupants of a private vehicle – were treated for minor injuries at a local hospital. Private and state emergency services responded to the scene.

Mvambi said the driver of the 25-seater patient bus was en route to collect patients at the Pelonomi Tertiary Hospital when the collision happened.

“The accident scene is under investigation by law enforcement officers,” Mvambi said.

An eyewitness reported that the state vehicle was turning into McGregor Road while a white sedan was travelling on the N8 towards the city centre when the initial collision occurred. The impact caused both drivers to lose control. The patient bus reportedly crashed into traffic lights and then collided with a third private vehicle, causing damage to the rear door.

The white sedan’s front end was damaged beyond repair, while the patient bus sustained damage to its left side.

This is the second incident involving a state 25-seater patient bus in less than two weeks.

A much more severe accident happened on 9 April near Mandela View, killing one patient at the scene and leaving 15 others with injuries. One of these survivors reportedly sustained critical injuries. It reportedly happened when a light motor vehicle suffered a tyre burst, causing the driver to lose control and collide with the patient transport vehicle. The patient bus was ferrying patients from Ficksburg to Bloemfontein.