It is understood the tree struck the vehicle, trapping the municipal law enforcement officer inside. Emergency services, including Emergency Medical Services, 1Life911, police, and other emergency agencies, were activated and dispatched to the scene.

Upon arrival, emergency personnel found the officer trapped inside the vehicle. They managed to extricate him before stabilising his condition.

Free State Road Incident Management System (RIMS) chairperson Sipho Towa said the officer sustained serious injuries and was transported to a hospital in Welkom. “We send our prayers to the law enforcement officers, as he is part of our family at RIMS.”

The incident comes amid growing concerns over road safety in the Free State, following a series of crashes that have left several people injured and others dead. In July, eleven foreign nationals were killed when a bus travelling from Cape Town to Zimbabwe overturned about 24km north of Trompsburg.

Other passengers were treated at Pelonomi and Universitas Academic Hospital in Bloemfontein, where Zimbabwe’s consul-general in Johannesburg, Eria Phiri, visited them. The remains of those who died were subsequently repatriated to Zimbabwe.

Following the crash, deputy minister of transport Mkhuleko Hlengwa visited the province and held high-level meetings in Bloemfontein amid a series of deadly road accidents. He said the Free State had recorded 407 road fatalities during the period under review, compared with 351 in 2025. This represented an increase of 56 deaths, or 16%.

The province’s target was 316 fatalities, leaving it 91 deaths above the target. Hlengwa stressed the figures represented lives lost rather than merely performance indicators, highlighting the serious consequences of road crashes and the need for improved road safety.

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