A 54-year-old truck driver was killed on Route 65 near Afula on Wednesday afternoon after being struck by a passing vehicle while attempting to repair his truck on the highway shoulder. Emergency services received reports of the incident around 1:30 p.m., with witnesses describing a pedestrian who had been hit with significant force by a private car while standing outside his vehicle.
Multiple emergency response teams rushed to the scene, including paramedics and emergency medical technicians from Magen David Adom's Gilboa region, along with motorcycle unit medics and volunteers from the Hatzalah rescue organization. Upon arrival, responders found the truck driver lying unconscious near his vehicle, without pulse or breathing, having sustained severe multi-system trauma from the impact.
Medical teams immediately began comprehensive assessments in an attempt to provide life-saving treatment, but the severity of the injuries proved fatal. Responders were forced to pronounce the man dead at the scene.
Initial investigation into the circumstances revealed that the driver had identified a mechanical problem with his truck, apparently a flat tire, and had pulled over to the roadside to attempt repairs and change the damaged wheel. While standing beside his truck and beginning the repair work, a private vehicle traveling on the intercity highway failed to brake or swerve in time, striking him with fatal force.
ZAKA volunteers from the northern district were also called to the scene and worked extensively to handle the deceased with dignity, collecting evidence from the roadway under the direction of ZAKA Northern District Commander Rabbi Anshel Friedman. Meanwhile, police and traffic investigators who arrived at the scene began examining the circumstances of the accident and the factors that led to the vehicle's failure to detect the person standing on the shoulder.
