A nine-year-old boy has been left critically injured after he was dragged behind a bakkie for approximately 2.5 km in Roodepoort on Thursday night.
ER24 spokesperson Russel Meiring said in a statement that paramedics had been called to a filling station at the intersection of Main Reef and Roode roads, where the bakkie had come to a stop.
"Upon assessment, paramedics found that the boy had sustained serious injuries to his back and buttocks, leaving him seriously injured."
The boy was treated for his injuries and provided with pain relief, before he was transported to Leratong Provincial Hospital.
"It is believed that the patient and his friends had jumped on to the back of the bakkie at an intersection. After driving some distance, unaware of the children, the boy attempted to jump off the vehicle, when his foot got caught in cargo netting. The driver was allegedly alerted to the boy being dragged behind his vehicle by another motorist," said Meiring.
The matter is being investigated.