A piece of cargo that dislodged from a truck and hit a bus caused a serious accident on Route 6. A youth, who was riding on the bus at the time of the accident, was killed and 14 others were injured. One person was critically wounded and the rest sustained light injuries. The route was closed for traffic.
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- An initial investigation suggests that the bus got stuck on the right lane. A truck driving behind it did not manage to stop in time and veered to the left in an effort not to crash into the bus. The sudden turn caused the truck's cargo to hit the bus.
Pieces of the bus as well as the metal rods which dislodged from the truck were scattered all over the road. The bus was hit in its back end and blood was seen on the seats.
Bus sustained damage. (Photo: Traffic Police)
Rescue crews working inside damaged bus (Photo: Ido Erez)
Cargo that dislodged from truck, causing accident (Photo: Traffic Police)
- The man critically wounded was rushed to the Rabin Medical Center in Petah Tikva. The rest of the victims were evacuated to other medical centers and hospitals in the area. An investigation has been launched.
The Egged bus company said that the truck driver was responsible for the accident. Egged spokesman Ron Ratner said: "This is an Egged bus, line 960, that left Jerusalem at 11 am on its way to Haifa. An initial investigation indicates that the bus was driving north in the right lane of Route 6, between the Kesem and Horashim interchanges, when it was hit from behind by the truck".
Scene of second accident (Photo: Raanan Ben-Zur)
An hour later, another accident involving three trucks, occured on the opposite side of Route 6.
Rescue teams administered medical care at the scene. The events have led police to close off both the northern and southern bound highway.
Earlier on Wednesday, a pedestrian was killed when crossing the Ibn Gvirol street, one of Tel Aviv's main streets. A taxi driver, 41, hit the man with his car, after he attempted to cross the street not on a crosswalk. Paramedics took the victim to the Sourasky Medical Center where doctors wer forced to pronounce him dead.
Boaz Fyler contributed to this report