A dramatic rescue unfolded in Somerset West’s CBD when emergency services deployed the mechanical “jaws of life” to free a trapped driver from his vehicle after a collision on Monday (28 July).
According to a Somerset West police report, the incident occurred just after 11:00 at the intersection of Andries Pretorius Street and Bizweni Road. An eyewitness claimed the driver of a silver Toyota Hilux jumped the red traffic light at the intersection and collided with a white BMW SUV, resulting in both drivers being transported to hospital.
Kevin Jacobs, spokesperson for the City of Cape Town’s Traffic Services, said traffic officers responded to an emergency call, arriving at the scene at 11:40. “There were two [relatively] slight injuries, and Metro Rescue and ER24 were also on scene.” He said the roadway was cleared at 12:27.
When DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette arrived on the scene the driver of the BMW was still trapped inside the wrecked vehicle due to door damage. Emergency services used hydraulic extrication equipment to prise it open and safely extract the driver later identified as Chris Dicks. The 50-year-old pastor of Dwelling Place Ministries in Somerset West explained that he was turning onto Main Road from Andries Pretorius Street when the bakkie came at full speed and crashed into the right side of his vehicle, trapping him inside.
“It was frightening because I couldn’t move,”
Chris Dicks recalled.
An on-scene video posted by the publication’s Facebook page, gauged comment from Dicks’ spouse Sally-Anne, who stated: “[It is] a pure miracle [he is] doing okay.”
She also divulged that her husband was to undergo shoulder surgery yesterday (Tuesday 29 July) to repair a collarbone fracture sustained in the incident.
Dicks thanked the community for their support, both for helping at the accident scene and for their continued prayers during his recovery.
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