Jooish

A 61-year-old Israeli bus driver is being remembered as a hero after he reportedly made a split-second decision to protect approximately 20 soldiers aboard his bus from an oncoming truck, sacrificing his own life in a devastating collision in northern Israel.

Avshalom Revivo, a resident of Ashdod and father of three, was killed Wednesday when a truck crossed into the path of his bus on Highway 91, between Machanaim Junction and Kibbutz Mishmar Hayarden. His employer believes that Revivo deliberately steered the bus in a direction that shielded the soldiers from the worst of the crash, even though the maneuver placed him directly in danger.

Revivo had worked for the Hamovil Ha’artzi transportation company for four years and was known among colleagues as a skilled, dependable and conscientious driver. Just two months earlier, he had celebrated the wedding of his daughter.

At the time of the accident, Revivo was driving the lead vehicle in a three-bus convoy transporting Israeli soldiers from the Tel Nof Air Force Base to northern Israel.

According to preliminary accounts, a truck traveling in the opposite direction suddenly veered across the roadway and into the bus’s path, leaving Revivo only moments to react.

Doron Shokrani, the owner of the transportation company, told Ynet that Revivo apparently recognized the approaching danger and made an immediate decision about how to maneuver his vehicle.

Although steering left might have allowed him to escape the collision, Revivo instead turned right. His employer believes that the maneuver prevented the soldiers from absorbing the full force of a head-on impact, while exposing the driver’s compartment to the collision.

The crash severely damaged the front of the bus, leaving Revivo trapped in the wreckage.

Firefighters and emergency rescue crews spent an extended period attempting to free him from the crushed vehicle. Magen David Adom paramedics carried out resuscitation efforts, but his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

The truck driver, a man in his 50s, sustained serious injuries and was airlifted to a hospital for emergency treatment.

The soldiers traveling aboard Revivo’s bus escaped with relatively minor injuries. They were evacuated to Ziv Medical Center in Tzfas for medical evaluation and treatment.

Emergency personnel responding to the October 14 accident described extensive damage to both vehicles. The crash was reported around noon, prompting the dispatch of ambulances, firefighters and rescue teams to the scene.

Magen David Adom emergency medical technician Gil Ad Ben Hamo said rescuers encountered a particularly severe collision, with the fronts of both vehicles badly damaged. Revivo was found unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing. Despite complex extraction efforts and emergency medical treatment, he could not be revived.

Initial emergency service reports indicated that 18 bus passengers, most of them young men in their 20s, were transported to the hospital with minor injuries. The truck driver was the only other person reported seriously injured.

Police closed Highway 91 in both directions while emergency crews worked at the scene and investigators examined the circumstances surrounding the collision.

Revivo’s employer said he had earned widespread respect during his years with the transportation company, consistently receiving favorable evaluations from clients that included the Defense Ministry and schools.

The circumstances of his death have also prompted calls for official recognition of his actions. Israel’s Public Transport Drivers Organization urged authorities to honor Revivo for what it described as an extraordinary act of bravery that protected the soldiers under his care.

Revivo was laid to rest in Ashdod at a funeral attended by large crowds, including relatives, friends, fellow drivers and members of the community.

Among those who came to pay their final respects were the squadron commander and soldiers who had been aboard his bus during the fatal accident.

Revivo leaves behind his wife and three children, including the daughter whose wedding he had celebrated just two months before his death.

{Matzav.com}