[Update below.] A man in his 30s was killed Friday afternoon in Yerushalayim after his vehicle apparently rolled backward and struck him shortly after he exited it in the Bucharim neighborhood. Despite prolonged resuscitation efforts at the scene and during transport, doctors at Hadassah Mount Scopus Medical Center were unable to save his life.

The accident occurred on Adoniyahu HaKohen Street. According to initial reports, the driver had gotten out of his vehicle when, for reasons still under investigation, it began rolling and pinned him. Magen David Adom received the emergency call at 4:03 p.m. reporting that a vehicle had crashed into a fence.

Emergency responders arrived to find the victim trapped beneath the vehicle, unconscious and without a pulse or signs of breathing. He had sustained severe head and chest injuries. Rescue crews extricated him before paramedics launched extensive resuscitation efforts and transported him in critical condition to Hadassah Mount Scopus Medical Center while CPR continued. He was later pronounced dead at the hospital.

Eli Raymond, an MDA motorcycle unit medic, described the scene.

“We found the victim trapped, unconscious, without a pulse or breathing, with extremely severe injuries to his body. While rescue efforts were underway, we provided life-saving medical treatment, including prolonged resuscitation, and evacuated him to the hospital in critical condition while fighting to save his life.”

United Hatzalah also said that, based on information gathered at the scene, the man had exited his vehicle before it rolled onto him. Volunteers Yisrael Litzman and Chaim Dovid Goldman said they, together with a physician, performed advanced resuscitation efforts that continued throughout the evacuation to the hospital.

Police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the fatal accident.

UPDATE: A devastating tragedy struck Yerushalayim on Friday when beloved singer and paytan Avishai Levy, 46, was killed in a horrific and highly unusual accident after his own vehicle rolled backward and crushed him. He was later pronounced dead at Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital.

According to initial reports, Levy had just dropped off passengers on Adoniyahu HaKohen Street and stepped out of his vehicle for a few moments to help them unload their bags and belongings. During that time, the vehicle unexpectedly began rolling backward, trapping him beneath it with fatal force.

Witnesses said the incident unfolded in a matter of seconds. Investigators believe Levy exited the vehicle while the gear remained in reverse and without the car being secured in park. When he noticed the vehicle rolling away, he rushed toward it in an attempt to stop it but was crushed between the driver’s door and a nearby pole.

Magen David Adom emergency crews rushed to the scene, extricated Levy while he was unconscious and without a pulse or breathing, and immediately began intensive resuscitation efforts.

He was transported in critical condition to Hadassah Mount Scopus Hospital as paramedics continued CPR throughout the journey. Despite prolonged efforts by medical teams to save his life, doctors were ultimately forced to pronounce him dead.

Levy’s sudden passing has left his family, friends, and admirers in deep shock and mourning. His death is the latest in a series of heartbreaking tragedies that have recently shaken the chareidi community, serving as another painful reminder of how fragile life can be.

The fatal accident also comes amid a string of serious crashes in and around Yerushalayim. Just days ago, a 21-year-old bochur was killed in an ATV accident near Neveh Erez only a week after becoming engaged, a tragedy that stunned the Olam HaTorah.

Police have opened an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident. Authorities are examining how the vehicle began rolling backward and whether mechanical failure or another factor contributed to the deadly incident.

{Matzav.com}