It is the same old story; a driver who seriously injures or kills a pedestrian has dozens of violations, begging the question why such persons are permitted to continue driving, and why appropriate action is not taken in advance to avoid the next catastrophe. Many are calling for tougher laws to make such an act too costly, but to date, this is merely a dream.
The driver struck Shula Swerdlov A”H, 3.5, after she got off of his vehicle on HaRan Street in the Shaare Chesed area of the capital while she was crossing the street (reported HERE on YWN), heading to a family member. He struck her and drove off, presumably unaware of his actions.
Shula’s brother, 8, was waiting for her on the other side of the street, witnessing the fatal event. She was transported by paramedics to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital where physicians pronounced her dead.
The victim’s father is Rav Yosef Swerdlov, affiliated with Chabad chassidus, heads the programs for children from Chernobyl under the auspices of Tzeirei Chabad.
Hatzolah responders who operated on the scene explain the vehicle did not “just hit her and knock her down, but ran her over with a wheel”.
Police report that the victim got off the vehicle, returning from kindergarten together with a brother who is 5. Their 8-year-old brother waited across the street. A neighbor told police she was standing at the entrance to their building when suddenly she heard the older child shout uncontrollably. “I understood immediately that something awful occurred”.
“I ran over and saw the girl on the street, in a pool of blood. I held her, trying to console her. A short time later help arrived. The mother came and she was hysterical. MDA arrived and distanced her from the difficult scene”.
Police Traffic Division investigator Moshe Cohen reports the driver did indeed leave the scene, but he was apprehended later on in his route. He adds the law demands an escort person on the vehicle to cross the children, but this was not the case.
The driver told police he did not feel that he backed into something/someone, and therefore, drove away from the scene.
Jerusalem police report this driver, who received his license in 1981, racked up 31 violations, some serious, and has been involved in no less than 10 vehicular accidents. It has also been learned from police that the vehicle was uninsured and it was not certified as a transport vehicle for children as required by law.
In addition, the driver does not have a license to transport children as is required by law. Police are asking the transportation company to provide explanations, and turning to both the bus company and the school to explain why there was no escort person on the vehicle.
An initial response from the transportation company states the driver was a fill-in and is not the steady driver.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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11 Responses
These school bus drivers, especially for chareidi institutions, are the most dangerous maniacs on the roads here.
One time a year ago, when one of these idiots refused to stop for me at a pedestrian
crossing, I beat his vehicle with a stick I was carrying. I gave his vehicle some serious scratches, and the driver himself almost as well. It’s very simple.
The law depands you stop at a pedestrian crossing. If you show a complete lack of respect for the law, and for me, and you insult me by almost killing me, don’t expect ME to show any respect for you. If I could, I would have beaten him up.
Just to add: all of these psychotic ‘school bus’ drivers deserve a good Iranian- or Saudi-style punishment, IMHO.
To answer another question: one may suspend the use of another person’s driver’s license, but that will not stop the person from driving. One must cut off the arms and legs of such an offender with multiple driving violations in order to stop such a person from driving.
hes a murdered, nothing less
Oy vey, her father is mamosh a tzadik!! Why does it always happen to the best among us????
Why cant rules be abided for by companies? Everyone call your child’s yeshiva and ask are the buses insured, inspected and certified to be escorting children. What is the driver’s name? Is he legally licensed? taken driver safety courses? not with a police record? etc..
Our children are our future, we can not put them at risk to be in the company of dangerous personel. and of course, NO ARAB WORKERS for our holy kinderlach in Eretz Yisroel.
Why don’t aren’t the children busses yellow equipped with stopping arms like the old country.
http://www.napt.org/associations/3103/files/TJ_Graves.jpg
Rebshalom, How can you even say something like that. My children’s drivers are the nicest people. He greets my children every morning with the biggest smile and a hearty good morning. The drivers have such a z’chus, transporting children to learn torah. There are crazy people everywhere. Dont make a blanket statement like that about bus drivers.
What a tragedy!! Baruch Dayan HaEmes.
Shouldn’t there be a bus monitor on every bus with such young children – to ensure they get across the street safely?
Her parents are simply the most wonderful people. I experienced their Hachnosas Orchim first hand. May Hashem help them recover from this terrible tragedy.
To #7
As a parent of school age children I agree that we as parents need to try to pressure the schools to have proper transportation for our children. But, I would suggest that we demand to see the licenses or proof of them because unfortunately you can’t always trust the schools either.