38 lightly injured when bus comes off highway near Jerusalem, tips sideways in ditch
Four of the elderly passengers taken to hospital after vehicle hits guardrail, eventually comes to a halt in a ditch; many had to be rescued via vehicle’s windows
A bus carrying a group of around 40 pensioners came off the main highway into Jerusalem on Monday morning, injuring 38 of the passengers.
The bus was driving along Route 1 close to the central city of Modiin when it hit the guardrail, police said.
The bus continued into a ditch where it came to a halt, partially tipped onto its side at an angle.
Emergency services said 38 of the passengers were lightly injured in the crash, while four of them reportedly required hospital treatment.
First responders had to work to extract the mostly-elderly passengers from the vehicle, with some of them unable to exit on their own.
Many of the passengers had to exit the bus via the windows, the Ynet news site said.
ענבה- התדרדרות אוטובוס בענבה כ30 לכודים במקום. לוחמי האש מתחנת אזורית איילון פועלים במיומנות על מנת לחלץ את כלל הלכודים ללא פגע. כרגע ישנם 10 לכודים בתוך האוטובוסים הצוותים ממשיכים בעבודה ברגעים אלה. pic.twitter.com/JL6namvXHb
— כבאות והצלה לישראל (@102_IL) July 18, 2022
According to reports, the bus was carrying a group that was on an organized trip for pensioners.
Police have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
According to the Or Yarok road safety lobby group, 180 people have been killed on Israel’s roads since the beginning of the year. That compares with 178 during the same period in 2021.
Last year, 361 people died on Israel’s roads, according to the National Road Safety Authority.
The Times of Israel Community.