Hummer overturned
Soldier killed, 3 more injured in vehicular accident during patrol duty
Sgt. Yuval Maneh was killed and three more soldiers were injured Saturday when an IDF Humvee they were driving in crashed and overturned after its driver lost control of the vehicle.
The accident occurred on the Gaza Strip border near Kissufim. One of the soldiers was moderately wounded and the other two were lightly wounded. They were all taken to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva for treatment.
The commander of the Southern Command, Major General Eyal Zamir, appointed a team of experts headed by the commander of the Sagi Brigade, Colonel Avi Rahamim, to investigate the circumstances of the incident.
In addition, the Military Police Investigation Unit (MPCID) opened an investigation into the circumstances of the incident.
The accident occurred on a side road near the border fence on the southern side of the Gaza Strip.
The initial investigation revealed that the Humvee had been overturned due to an accidental loss of control. Sgt. Maneh who was sitting in the front seat was mortally wounded and died of his wounds. The driver and the two fighters in the back seat were wounded.
The investigation will examine whether the four soldiers, who were engaged in a routine patrol duty, were wearing safety belts during the accident. Among other things, the IDF is checking whether the driver lost control of the vehicle due to driving too fast.
Medical forces arrived from nearby communities close to the Gaza Strip border to aid. The security officials who arrived said that for many minutes they tried to turn the vehicle back into position and even used tractors to turn it over.
(Translated & edited by Lior Mor)
