A Yeshiva bochur was seriously injured when a large rock fell on his head while he was hiking in Ein Gedi on Tuesday afternoon. The hike, which took place in the David Stream of the popular tourist attraction, ended on a very serious note as the bochur was evacuated by an Air Force Helicopter to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem.

The bochur was hiking with his friends when a large boulder rolled from on top of the mountainside and struck him in the head. According to eyewitness reports from his friends, the boulder was knocked off the face of the mountainside by a Ibex who had kicked the stone with its legs.

Members of the Ein Gedi Search and Rescue Team together with park officials and rangers extricated the injured 19-year-old bochur out of the stream. A United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Yitzchak Allenberg, who is also a tour guide who was at the location when the incident occurred, spoke about assisting the bochur in the field. “During a hike in the David stream, I came across a large stone that had fallen from a cliff and hit a young man in his head. The young man was hiking with his friends when the incident occurred for a Bein Hazmanim hike. In just a few seconds I began providing first aid treatment for the young man’s injuries while simultaneously asking the dispatch center to send an air evacuation team in order to take the young man to the hospital. The boy suffered serious head trauma, as well as serious trauma to his upper body.

Pleae say Tehillim for Shimon ben Miriam Malka.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)