Family rescued after car flips into freezing KZN dam
Updated Aug. 11, 2026, 4:30 p.m. | By Lauren Hendricks A mother of two suffered serious injuries after she and her family were rescued from a freezing dam…
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Updated Aug. 11, 2026, 4:30 p.m. | By Lauren Hendricks
A mother of two suffered serious injuries after she and her family were rescued from a freezing dam in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
A family is recovering in hospital after their vehicle went off the R34 and plunged into a freezing dam in northern KwaZulu-Natal.
This led to a dramatic rescue by members of KwaZulu Private Ambulance Service.
Emergency first responders rushed to Bloedriver Poort and found the family of four trapped on top of their vehicle.
Craig Botha from KZPA said there was no way for the family to swim to safety.
"Our rescue technician in the Vryheid area actually then went into his water rescue mode and put on some water rescue equipment and established ropes and everything, and one by one slowly evacuated the family from the top of the car, which would have been the bottom because the car actually flipped onto its roof into the water,” said Botha.
“Thankfully, they were actually able to get out of that car and then placed [were] into an ambulance and started rewarming because they were really hypothermic."
Mother suffers serious injuries
Botha says the mother suffered the most serious injuries, with suspected chest injuries and broken bones, while the father and two children, aged 10 and 14, had minor injuries.
He says KZPA teams were busy for five hours on Monday, responding to seven crashes that left 11 people injured as snow, rain, and slippery roads affected the province.
Another vehicle overturned on the R34, and crashes were also reported in Vryheid and on the N11 at Ingogo.
The service is urging motorists to slow down and exercise extreme caution as the cold front continues.
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