On a quiet Sunday morning, near the Nes Ziona interchange, a multi-vehicle collision occurred involving four cars. As traffic began to build up due to the accident, concerned bystanders who had witnessed the incident promptly dialed emergency services for assistance.
Among the witnesses to the accident was Kalanit Taub, a dedicated United Hatzalah volunteer EMT. Kalanit, who resides in Efrat and was en route to her workplace in Rehovot with a friend, was only a few minutes away from her destination when they came across the accident scene. Kalanit requested her friend to pull over and let her disembark to provide aid.
Kalanit left her friend’s vehicle in the middle of the busy highway, contacted the organization’s Dispatch and Command Center to report the accident, and immediately began tending to the injured. She had only basic equipment on hand at the time: gloves, trauma bandages, a tourniquet, an EpiPen, and aspirin, which were far from sufficient for the situation at hand.
Kalanit donned her gloves and assessed the condition of the injured parties. She observed that three of them were experiencing neck pain and advised them not to move until additional personnel arrived with proper equipment. She then enlisted the assistance of nearby passersby to support the heads of those with neck pain, stabilizing their necks to prevent potential further C-spine injuries, and providing clear instructions on how to do so effectively. Kalanit also alerted the police to the accident.
Before long, two ambulances arrived along with a United Hatzalah volunteer on an ambucycle, Dr. Fahkry Dirbashi, a Muslim volunteer who worked as a physician at Beilinson Hospital. Dr. Dirbashi was en route to a specialized ambucycle driver training course for United Hatzalah when he received the alert and promptly rushed to the accident scene. The paramedic on the ambulance and Dr. Dirbashi applied cervical collars to those in need and secured one patient on a backboard. Once all the injured had received treatment, been stabilized, and were en route to the hospital for definitive care, Dr. Dirbashi resumed his course, while Kalanit continued her journey to work. However, without her own vehicle, she had to request a ride from someone. Fortunately, one of her fellow first responders was heading in the same direction and kindly drove her the rest of the way to her workplace.
Reflecting on the incident afterward, Kalanit remarked, “It was a very eventful morning for me. While I frequently respond to calls and have even hitchhiked to emergencies in the past, this one was truly unique. I am grateful that I could offer immediate assistance to those in need after the accident, potentially preventing further injuries.”
