An IDF career soldier was killed in a road accident on Highway 6 after stopping to assist two soldiers whose vehicle had broken down on the side of the road, the military said.
Master Sgt. Alexander Bondaryov, 31, from Afula, was struck by a passing vehicle that apparently did not notice him after he exited his car to help, and was pronounced dead at the scene. He was buried Monday at the military cemetery in Afula.
Bondaryov, who served in a classified unit, was on his way north for an operational mission in Lebanon at the time of the incident.
He is survived by his wife, Angelika, 29, and their two children, a 4-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter. Born in Kyrgyzstan, he immigrated to Israel with his family as a toddler.
Family members said he stopped after noticing two soldiers with a flat tire and insisted on helping them despite being told they could manage. During the assistance, a vehicle collided with his military car, throwing it into him.
“He paid with his life to save them,” his wife said, adding that the family of one of the soldiers later came to thank them.
Bondaryov had served about a decade in career military service and was expected to be discharged in the coming days, with plans to join the police, according to his family.
Afula Mayor Avi Elkabetz described him as a dedicated soldier who “stopped to help and paid with his life,” extending condolences to the family.