Honeymooning Israeli bride killed in Barcelona

Hadar Shalgi, an event planner whose last gig included the Obama visit and who treasured the president’s brief greeting to her, dies after being hit by car

By Philip Podolsky 29 March 2013, 10:59 pm

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An Israeli tourist died in a Barcelona hospital Friday after being hit by a car while on her honeymoon there last week.

Newlyweds Nadav Shalom and Hadar Shalgi were standing at a pedestrian crossing in the Spanish city last Saturday, when a collision between two vehicles resulted in one of the cars hitting Shalgi and causing her severe head injuries.

The 30-year-old remained unconscious in a Barcelona hospital until doctors pronounced her dead on Friday, following a week-long struggle to save her life.

Shalgi was an event planner with Nohar Productions. The last event she worked on was the reception ceremony for US President Barack Obama at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem on March 20. Her colleagues related to Israeli media her excitement about having worked on the US president’s visit and been briefly greeted by him.

“It was the greatest experience in the world for her,” said her boss Rahel Aviram. “Obama came past, and we were with his team, and when he came down off the stage after his speech, he passed literally two meters from her, smiled at her, and said, ‘Hi.’ We laughed and talked about it. After all, this is one of the greatest leaders there is. A great experience.”

It was not clear Friday when Shalgi’s body is to be transported to Israel, owing to hospital policies and delays related to the Passover and Easter holidays.