Tragic Night: 2 Dead in Horrific Ashdod Highway Collision

The fatalities in the horrific car crash that occurred last night (Saturday night) near Ashdod have been identified as Shmuel Shabtiel, 29, from Netivot, and Hila Chiziza, 21, from Ashkelon. Their names were cleared for publication today.

The accident took place on Highway 42. Shabtiel’s vehicle caught fire and burned completely, while the vehicle carrying Chiziza flipped over and she was trapped inside. Both were killed at the gruesome scene, with death pronounced on site.

ZAKA spokesperson Moti Bukchin stated today: "This was one of the most severe accidents we've seen recently. ZAKA teams from the Shfela and Lachish regions worked professionally and devotedly for many hours under difficult conditions to treat the deceased with due respect and collect the numerous findings from the scene."

Chiziza’s family told Ynet, "She truly had a good heart," they said. "She grew up facing many hardships yet was always serious and proved herself." During her teenage years, Chiziza volunteered with MDA for several years.

Shabtiel’s aunt told Ynet he was a role model, "the first to help anyone in need." He had lived in Yavne until about two months ago, when he moved with his wife to Netivot. They had not yet had children."

One of the worst accidents we've seen:

The terrible accident occurred after 11:00 p.m. last night. MDA paramedic Asher Arviv and medics Noam On and Avisaf Knafo said: "At the scene were two mangled vehicles—one burning, the other overturned on its roof. A man was trapped in the burning vehicle; he was unconscious and suffering from burns across his body. In the overturned vehicle was a woman, unconscious with very severe injuries. During the complex extrication efforts, we conducted medical assessments, but unfortunately their injuries were critical and we had no choice but to pronounce them dead."