Man dies in fall from hot air balloon onto moving car

A man died on Tuesday morning when he fell from a hot air balloon and landed on top of a moving car.

The incident occurred on Route 60 near the northern city of Afula.

Police said in a statement that the man was a member of the hot air balloon crew who was hanging on a cable on the outside of the aircraft during take-off.

He was identified as Yogev Cohen, 28, of Kibbutz Yizre’el.

According to the Walla news site, the operators of the hot air balloon noticed that Cohen was hanging off the side but the airship rose too quickly for them to stop it.

As soon as the crew on board realized what was happening, they attempted to land the balloon and also bring Cohen into the basket or catch him, but he slipped and fell.

דיווח ראשוני והעניין בבדיקה בהמשך לאירוע הנפילה מכדור הפורח
כנראה מדובר במפעיל של הכדור הפורח הוא זה שנפל אל מותו
והכדור הפורח בשמיים עם עשרה 10 נוסעים או מטיילים שאין להם מידע איך להנחית אותו הרבה כוחות באזור עפולה כוננות גבוהה pic.twitter.com/p3ZTO94IQb

— אורן (@oren97920179) October 19, 2021

Police said it was “unknown” why Cohen was in that position and that they have opened an investigation.

יוגב כהן, בן 28 מקיבוץ יזרעאל נהרג בתאונת הכדור הפורח: "צעקנו לו תקפוץ, והוא ענה 'אני מחזיק מעמד'" https://t.co/CXtdKHVHqK@sharonidan pic.twitter.com/F9FTTUOy8U

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 19, 2021

Medics said that they declared Cohen’s death on the scene. The occupants of the vehicle on which he fell did not require medical treatment.

According to the Ynet news site, the incident will also be investigated by the Civil Aviation Authority. The site noted that there were no warnings of unusual activity in the skies, and the weather was not thought to be problematic at the time of the incident.