The truck driver, a man in his 50s, sustained serious injuries to his limbs and was flown to a hospital.
By Shula Rosen
A collision between a bus and a truck in northern Israel left the 61-year-old bus driver dead and 19 people injured Wednesday, including the truck driver, who was hospitalized in serious condition.
The crash occurred on Route 91 near Mahanaim Junction and was reported to Magen David Adom (MDA) at noon.
Police shut the road in all directions and began investigating the circumstances of the collision.
Among the injured were at least 18 people, most of them in their 20s, who suffered minor injuries.
They were taken by ambulance to Ziv Hospital.
The truck driver, a man in his 50s, sustained serious injuries to his limbs and was flown to a hospital aboard an MDA-Hatzolah Air helicopter.
Rescue teams found the bus driver trapped in the wreckage when they reached the scene. He was unconscious, not breathing and had no pulse as crews worked to extract him from the badly damaged vehicle.
MDA medics provided treatment during the rescue effort but ultimately pronounced him dead at the scene.
MDA emergency medical technician Gil Ad Ben Hamo said both vehicles had sustained extensive damage in the collision.
“This was a horrific traffic accident. The vehicles had very severe damage to their front ends.
“The bus driver was trapped, unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing.
“During complex rescue operations, we provided him with medical treatment, and afterward we were forced to pronounce him dead,” Ben Hamo said.
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