Guy Shtemer
Ecuador: Israeli tourist killed in road accident
Guy Shtemer, 23, hit by passing car while riding bike near small South American town, apparently dies on the spot. Guy's mom says, 'He planned to return to Israel on Friday and register for university'
Tragedy in South America: Guy Shtemer, 23, of Rishon Lezion, was killed Sunday in a road accident in Ecuador after being hit by a passing car while riding a bicycle.
Shtemer's family was notified of his death, and a date for the funeral is yet to be set.
The accident occurred while Shtemer was riding a bicycle with an Ecuadorian friend of his near the town of Banos, some four-hours away from the capital, Quito. A private vehicle hit him for unknown reasons, and he was apparently killed on the spot.
Israeli Ambassador to Ecuador Eyal Sela was briefed on the incident by local police and arrived at the scene of the accident. The embassy began preparations to have the body flown to Israel for Shtemer's burial.
Guy's mother, Nava, told Ynet her son had been traveling in South America for some nine months, and was supposed to return home this weekend.
"He planned to arrive in Israel on Friday and register for studies at university. This morning the police came and told me he was killed in a road accident, after being hit by a passing car."
Nava said her son was "a brilliant guy – an excellent student who loved poetry and even wrote a prose. This was his post-military service trip. At the start of the month, on February 2, he celebrated his 23rd birthday, and now he has been killed.
"We don't know much about what happened. It is my understanding that this was not some sort of dangerous or daring track, but just a bike ride, just and accident. Everyone has their own fate."
