Seven people lose their lives in two accidents in Jerusalem and near Beit Shemesh respectively.
By JPOST.COM STAFFBeit Shemesh crash 248.88(photo credit: Channel 2)
Two deadly car accidents over the weekend which claimed the lives of seven people were likely the result of drunk driving, according to police evaluations Saturday night.
On Saturday morning, a man was killed after the car he was driving overturned near Mount Scopus in Jerusalem.
The driver was 19-year-old Moshe Alkayam from Gilo, who did not hold a driving license. Police believe he took his brother's car without permission and lost control over the vehicle, crashing into an electricity pole and overturning on the road from Jerusalem to Ma'aleh Adumim.
On Friday, six people were killed in a head-on collision between two cars on Route 38 near Beit Shemesh.
The three victims who were in the first car were Kiryat Ono residents Aharon Strolovsky, 63, his mother Rachel Strolovsky, and Olga Rabinovitch. Aharon's wife was lightly injured in the accident.
Three friends from Beit Shemesh were killed in the second car, which police suspect swerved into the opposite lane and collided with the Strolovskys' car.
The victims in that car were IDF soldier Asaf Maimon, who was driving, and passengers Shir Malka, 16, and IDF soldier Moshe Iluz, 19. Two other passengers were in the car and sustained light injuries.
Police said witnesses had told them that Maimon had been drinking beer with his friends at a pool party prior to the accident. They also said he had smashed the wing mirror of another car with his speeding vehicle moments before the deadly crash.
Magen David Adom teams that arrived at the scene pronounced the six people dead immediately upon reaching the location, and the injured were taken to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.
Traffic Police Chief Cmdr. Avi Ben-Hemo and Jerusalem District Chief Cmdr. Ilan Franco were both called to the scene, and Franco said relatives of the families arrived and started scuffling after the accident.
Route 38 is narrow and contains many sharp turns and many segments of it are blocked from view by foliage. There is no physical barrier between the lanes and the road is used by many trucks on a daily basis. Beit Shemesh residents have warned in the past that the road is dangerous.
Following the two deadly accidents, MK Yariv Levin (Likud) was planning to submit a bill Sunday forbidding anyone under the age of 18 from consuming alcohol outside their homes.
According the bill, police would be authorized to confiscate alcoholic drinks from minors.
At present, the law only forbids the sale of alcohol to minors.
Also Friday, nine people were lightly injured in a head-on collision between two cars in the village of Dir Hana in the Galilee.
Magen David Adom paramedics from the Asher District evacuated the injured to the Poriah and Western Galilee hospitals respectively.
Overnight Thursday, about 20 people were lightly injured during a collision between a bus and several cars near Holon.
Magen David Adom medics treated the casualties at the scene.
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