Condition of girl hit by Olmert's convoy deteriorating, mother says
Mother of 10-year-old girl hit by the prime minister's motorcade on Thursday says daughter's condition worse than initial assessment. 'She didn't even remember me this morning,' says mother. Investigation into incident to continue Sunday
A day after her daughter was hit by a car in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's motorcade in Jerusalem; Etti Sofer on Friday told Ynet that her daughter Hannah's health had deteriorated since the accident Thursday.
The 10-year-old child's condition was initially defined mild, but Friday morning, the mother Etti, speaking from Hadassah Ein Karem hospital, where her daughter is staying, told Ynet, "They discovered a fracture in her pelvis; she suffers from headaches, bruises all over her body, and continues to vomit.
"She isn't really communicating and doesn’t remember anything about last night. She didn't even remember me this morning."
It was decided on Friday that the driver of the vehicle that hit Hannah would be called for further investigation by the Jerusalem Police's traffic division.
An initial probe into the incident conducted by the police indicated that the convoy was driving with its lights and sirens on. The traffic light changed to red as the motorcade was still making its way across while the girl began crossing the street after the crosswalk light turned green.
The car accompanying the motorcade which hit the girl remained at the scene while the rest of the convoy continued. It should be noted that vehicles in the prime minister's motorcade are permitted to drive through red lights, while of course watching out for pedestrians and other vehicles crossing the road.
“We arrived at the hospital at around 9 pm after receiving a phone call from Magen David Adom,” Etti Sofer recounted Friday. “At the time of the accident Hannah’s older sister Tamar, who is 12-years-old, was with her.
Prime minister's convoy Friday night (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
“Tamar told me that they wanted to cross the road when the crosswalk light was green. They began to cross and then Hannah shouted when she heard the sirens and saw the cars in the convoy continuing to move at a high speed. The car hit Hannah and she was thrown into the air. Her sister has not stopped crying since,” she said.
The mother said she would be spending Shabbat at the hospital with her daughter.
“Hanah doesn’t communicate; she only says she’s in pain and that she has to throw up,” Sofer said. “We hope she will be fine.”
Hadassah officials said the girl’s condition is listed as mild and that she would remain under supervision until her release on Sunday.
The Sofer family has not been informed of the driver’s expected interrogation. Ettie said she received numerous phone calls from eyewitnesses who agreed to testify.
Hannah’s mother said she did not have any resentment toward the convoy’s drivers. "Everything is determined from above,” she said while taking Hanah’s hand again.
