Leading PR consultant killed in cycling accident in Tel Aviv

Motti Morel, who advised opposition leader Isaac Herzog, collided with a truck; in Jerusalem, pedestrian seriously injured after being hit by bus

Motti Morel (Eyal Izhar / Wikipedia)
Motti Morel (Eyal Izhar / Wikipedia)

Leading public relations consultant Motti Morel was killed Tuesday when his electric bicycle was hit by a truck near the Azrieli mall at the busy Menachem Begin intersection in Tel Aviv.

Morel, 66, who in the past advised opposition leader Isaac Herzog, was pronounced dead at the scene by paramedics.

Road closures in the wake of the accident caused a heavy buildup of traffic, and police asked drivers to avoid the area.

Electric bicycles have been increasingly popular in recent years, seen as a cheaper alternative to a car and a way to bypass Tel Aviv’s heavy gridlock. They are strictly forbidden on sidewalks, and in the absence of a bicycle lane must travel only on the right-hand side of the road.

In September 2017, Tel Aviv municipal authorities began to enforce cycling laws, with inspectors issuing tickets and seizing the bicycles of offenders.

Separately, in Jerusalem, a 50-year-old pedestrian was seriously injured when he was hit by a bus on Tuesday afternoon. He was taken to the hospital to be treated for a head injury after receiving first aid treatment on the scene.

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