Senior police officer arrives at scene of bus crash, discovers teenage son was killed
Bus overturns on way to Beersheba from Tel Aviv, killing Liron Avitan, 17, and injuring 12 others; 436 people killed in traffic accidents in Israel last year
A bus overturned in the early hours of Sunday, killing one person and leaving 12 others injured.
It was later announced that the passenger killed was 17-year-old Liron Avitan.
Avitan’s father, Deputy Commissioner Yosef Avitan, arrived at the scene in his capacity as the commander of the Southern District’s Traffic Police and discovered there that his son was killed.
The 469 line, traveling from Tel Aviv to Beersheba, flipped over near the Ma’ahaz Interchange on Route 40.
Three people were moderately injured, Magen David Adom emergency service said — a 16-year-old boy with head injuries, a 29-year-old man with chest injuries, and a 43-year-old man with injuries to his limbs.
Nine other people were lightly injured in the event.
סנ״צ יוסי אביטן, בכיר באגף התנועה, הגיע אתמול לזירת התאונה הקטלנית בכביש 40. למרבה הזוועה הוא גילה שם שבנו לירון בן ה-22 הוא ההרוג בתאונה הקטלנית. היום לירון יובא למנוחות. יהי זכרו ברוך @newsisrael13 pic.twitter.com/swkiMvezGS
— נעם גולדברג | Noam Goldberg (@noam_goldberg1) March 9, 2025
All the injured were transported to Soroka Hospital in stable condition.
Police are investigating the incident.
According to Channel 12 news, the area surrounding the Ma’ahaz Interchange saw 125 people injured between 2020 and 2024. Six of those casualties suffered serious injuries, and the rest were lightly hurt.
In 2024, 436 people were killed in traffic accidents in Israel, marking the deadliest year on the roads since 2007, according to the National Road Safety Authority.
