MDA paramedics Shimon Zaltz and Nachman Shai Revivo, who also responded to the emergency call, described the harrowing scene. "We received a report of a girl struck by a vehicle. We arrived rapidly and found the child lying near the car, unconscious, without pulse or respiration, with severe injuries throughout her body," they confirmed in a joint statement.
The emergency crews immediately began advanced life support measures at the scene, performing chest compressions, assisted ventilation, and administering emergency medications in a desperate effort to stabilize the young victim. "We initiated CPR immediately, including compressions, ventilation, and medication administration, and evacuated her urgently to the hospital in critical condition as we continued fighting for her life," the MDA team stated.
United Hatzalah's Jerusalem district confirmed that their medical teams also participated in the initial resuscitation efforts during the critical first minutes following the collision on Salant Street, working alongside MDA crews in the coordinated emergency response.
Trauma teams continued advanced resuscitation protocols after she arrived at Hadassah Har HaTzofim Medical Center, Tragically, hospital physicians pronounced her death shortly after arrival, devastating her family and the tight-knit Mea Shearim community.
The incident occurred in one of Jerusalem's oldest and most densely populated ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, where narrow streets and heavy pedestrian traffic create ongoing safety concerns. Israeli police have launched an investigation into the circumstances of the collision, though initial reports suggest the girl was crossing the street when she was struck.
The tragedy comes amid a series of pedestrian accidents affecting Jewish communities both in Israel and abroad in recent months, raising renewed concerns about traffic safety in areas with high concentrations of families and children. Just last week, a 7-year-old girl was killed in a school bus accident in Monsey, New York, sending shockwaves through the Orthodox community there.
Community leaders in Mea Shearim have called for enhanced traffic enforcement and safety measures on Rav Shmuel Salant Street, which serves as a major artery through the neighborhood and sees constant vehicle and pedestrian traffic throughout the day.
The girl's name has not been publicly released pending notification of all family members. Funeral arrangements are being coordinated by the family in accordance with Jewish law requiring burial as soon as possible.
