Walkway collapses on truck, driver killed
Tractor hauled by truck rams into 4.6 meter high walkway on Kfar Saba street; walkway collapses, driver crushed
A walkway collapsed on a truck travelling along Kfar Saba's Weitzman Street Sunday morning. A Magen David Adom medical team and firefighters were called to the scene. Firefighters were able to reach the driver after nearly an hour and pull him out of the truck, but paramedics pronounced him dead.
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After the walkway collapse
The truck was hauling a tractor, which struck the 4.6 meter (15 feet) high walkway, causing it to collapse. The walkway serves students who attend a nearby middle school and elementary school. The schools are closed for the summer vacation.
(Photo: Itzik Ben Shushan)
Photo: Itzik Ben-Shushan
Photo: Dor Baron
Sign says bridge 4.6 meters high
An eyewitness who was on a bus some 50 meters (164 feet) behind the truck told Ynet, "I heard the sound of metal being dragged. At first I thought there was a construction site nearby, but then I noticed that the bridge had collapsed."
A large crane was used lift the walkway and firefighters sawed the truck's doors off in order to reach the driver, 54-year-old Avraham Gola of Ashkelon, and pull him out of the truck before medics pronounced him dead.
Gola, who is survived by a wife, a daughter and two young boys, shot two Palestinians to death a year ago, after the two tried to rob him while he was traveling with his truck near Mount Hebron.
According to the Judea and Samaria police, Gola was beaten by the robbers and sustained light injuries to his head and neck, but refused to go to a hospital and received medical care at the nearby Yatir checkpoint.
After the incident, a member of Gola's family said, "he worked less and was more reluctant to arrive at some areas in the country."
"He was a commendable father who was always careful on the road, but now the road took his life," another family member said.
The Kfar Saba Municipality said the walkway was well-maintained.
Kfar Saba Mayor Yehuda Ben Hamo said the bridge was examined a few months ago and was found to be safe. "This tragedy was the result of the driver's mistake. A sign on the bridge says it is 4.6 meters high, while the truck, with the tractor on top of it, was 5.6 meters (about 18 feet) high, and this is undoubtedly what caused the accident," the mayor said.
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