Volunteer medic, a father of three, dies in crash en route to emergency

A volunteer medic died early on Friday morning in a vehicle accident in Jerusalem as he was responding to an emergency call.

Efraim (Effi) Gadassi, a volunteer for United Hatzalah, was critically wounded when the motor scooter he was riding collided with a taxi in the city center.

He was rushed to Shaare Zedek Medical Center, where he later succumbed to his injuries.

According to a police statement, “The driver of the scooter apparently lost control and deviated from his lane, colliding head on with a taxi coming the other way.”

United Hatzalah said in a statement that the organization’s volunteers, board of directors and administration joined with the family in mourning the father of three young children.

“He helped many people and saved many lives. He was a symbol and example of volunteerism for the public at any time. We are saddened beyond words by his passing,” the statement read.

In a similar incident in Tel Aviv,that occurred shortly afterwards, a man in his 20s was rushed to hospital after his scooter also collided with a taxi, Channel 2 reported. He is in serious condition in Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Hospital.

Also early Friday morning, a 48-year-old man collapsed while exercising near Kibbutz Alonim. He was rushed to Haifa’s Rambam Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. He was identified by the Population and Immigration Authority of the Interior Ministry as Motty Berkovich, deputy head of a division in the agency.

In yet another overnight incident, a man was stabbed to death in the northern village of Kfar Zeitim, near Tiberias.

According to police reports, a fight broke out between two men, both with criminal backgrounds. A 30-year-old man was stabbed to death and a 58-year-old was taken to Poriya Hospital with multiple stab wounds. The 60-year-old father of the deceased was also taken to hospital after he was lightly injured by a car on the road where the incident occurred.