The car damaged in the accident
Photo: MDA
Boy killed, 8 injured in car-camel accident in Negev
A camel strayed onto road on Highway 40, causing multi-car crash involving car, military jeep; 13-year-old boy killed, rest of family injured; military jeep hit camel and overturned, 4 soldiers hurt; 15 killed since 2008 in accidents involving animals.
A 13 year-old boy was killed and eight people injured in an accident involving a camel,
a private vehicle and a military jeep on Highway 40 in the Negev Tuesday. Magen David Adom (MDA) and IDF medics attended to the injured.
The other vehicle involved, a military jeep, flipped over and four IDF soldiers sustained light to moderate injuries. They were taken to Soroka as well. The IDF announced its Military Police will be taking part in the inquiry into the accident.
The boy's mother was seriously injured, suffering severe head injuries. The father, 40, sustained moderate wounds and two young boys, 9 and 14, sustained light to moderate injuries.
Footage from the scene of the accident (תיעוד מבצעי מד"א)
The parents were evacuated by helicopter to the Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva and the children were taken by ambulance.
The scene of the accident (Photo: MDA)
Preliminary reports indicate that the vehicle carrying the family hit a camel that had strayed onto the road. Immediately thereafter, the jeep hit the camel as well. Police say the camel had no identification tags.
(Photo: Firefighters south region)
An MDA paramedic said that upon arriving on the scene emergency personnel saw a camel lying near a severely damaged, overturned vehicle and acted quickly to extricate five people from the vehicle. The boy, 13, was suffering from multiple injuries and the IDF doctor had no choice but to pronounce him dead.
The woman, 40, was only semi-conscious and was suffering from head injuries. She received medical attention that included anesthesia and respiration. After initial treatment at the scene, the rest of the family was taken to the hospital.
Emergency responders reported that the two vehicles were some 500 meters apart when they arrived at the scene. An injured camel was lying nearby.
(Photo: Firefighters south region)
"The scene became even worse when we realized that there were children involved," said Fire squad Chief Yuval Kalmenovich. "We assisted in evacuating the injured and searched the area to make sure there were no more victims who might have been thrown from the vehicle. We remained on-site to provide lighting."
Police have closed off Highway 40 in both directions between km 107-110 so that evacuation helicopters can land and the injured attended to.
According to Or Yarok, an NGO concerned with road safety, between 2008 and 2017, 15 people were killed in traffic accidents involving wildlife, mostly camels in the Negev, and 350 were injured, more than 50 seriously.
