Beit Shemesh Traffic Accident: Fatal Collision Claims Two Lives

Two men in their 40s were killed overnight Thursday into Friday in a head-on collision on Route 383, south of the town of Zechariah near Beit Shemesh. The crash occurred at 2:03 a.m. and involved two private vehicles, leaving two dead and one woman moderately injured.

One of the victims has been identified as Rabbi Meir Turgeman, 42, a resident of Beit Shemesh who earlier this week had celebrated his son's bar mitzvah. He is survived by nine children.

Large teams from Magen David Adom (Israel's national emergency medical service), United Hatzalah volunteer emergency organization, and ZAKA recovery and identification volunteers were dispatched to the scene, where they encountered two severely crushed vehicles following the frontal impact. Emergency responders found two men with no signs of life, one of whom was trapped inside his vehicle.

Traffic accident (Photo: United Hatzalah)

"An Extremely Difficult Scene"

Magen David Adom paramedic Tzuriel Mayers, senior medic Yehoshua Gottlieb, and medic Shmuel Arieli described what they found: "This was an extremely severe traffic accident involving two vehicles. We saw a man in his 40s lying at the roadside, unconscious, with no pulse and no breathing, showing significant trauma. Another man was trapped in his vehicle, also unconscious."

The medical team continued: "We performed medical assessments, but unfortunately both were without signs of life and we had no choice but to pronounce them dead at the scene. At the same time, we provided medical treatment and evacuated a woman who was moderately injured to the hospital."

United Hatzalah volunteers Moishy Siroka, Mordechai David Goldman, and Dudi Wertheimer reported: "This was a difficult scene involving two vehicles. We performed resuscitation efforts on two young men aged 40 and 30, who were subsequently pronounced dead at the scene due to the severe nature of their injuries. We also assisted a 35-year-old woman in moderate condition who was evacuated to the hospital for further treatment."

ZAKA volunteers from the Jerusalem District's Beit Shemesh team were called to the location and worked through the night handling the dignified treatment of the deceased and collecting evidence at the difficult scene. Avrimi Kapp, commander of ZAKA Beit Shemesh, Yosef Chaim Haouzi, deputy commander, along with volunteers Shlomi Kapp, Shlomi Peretz, and Ariel Pintz reported: "This was an extremely severe accident scene involving two vehicles. When we arrived, we saw both vehicles crushed and overturned on opposite sides of the road."

The ZAKA volunteers added: "In one of the vehicles, a complex and lengthy extrication was performed. Both men in their 40s suffered multi-system trauma and were without signs of life, and MDA teams were forced to confirm their deaths at the scene. We are handling the dignified treatment of the deceased and collecting evidence."

A police spokesperson stated: "Officers from the Jerusalem District, Traffic Division, and Border Police are currently working at the scene of a fatal traffic accident that occurred on Route 383, near Tel Azekah. According to initial reports, this appears to be a head-on collision involving two vehicles. As a result of the accident, two people involved were pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel, and another person was evacuated in moderate condition."