Beershaba District County has officially declared Edward Gelfand responsible for the devastating bus crash of Eilat. The bus crash occurred in 2008, killing 24 people. It is the most devastating bus accident that the Israeli population has ever witnessed. The victims were a group of Russian travel agents, visiting Israel. Gelfand, the bus driver, was reported to have driven the bus off a cliff, thus resulting in such a catastrophe.
Five years later, the matter has finally been concluded as caused by the crime of speeding committed by the driver. Gelfand was reported to have overtaken other vehicles on the highway, Route 12, at a massive speed of 98 kilometers per hour, almost twice as much as the maximum speed on this route, 50 kilometers per hour. Furthermore, Gelfand overlooked all the signs that warned drivers of any dangerous terrain that lies ahead. The bus went out of control with the arrival of the cliff, and Belfand, unable to apply the brakes at such a high speed, drove the bus off the 54-meter high cliff.
The court dismissed Gelfand’s claim that the vehicle had failed him. The court decided that it was the driver’s fault for making the faulty decision of driving a 20-ton bus on a non-linear road. The media, after interviewing Gelfand, revealed the possibility that he would petition the case to the Supreme Court.
The bus contained a total of 60 passengers, dozens of whom were injured. Six helicopters were summoned to rescue the passengers, and those who witnessed the crash claimed that it was nothing less than a “battlefield,” with a chaotic blend of devastated luggage and injured people. A passersby corroborated that it was indeed a bus crash, with the driver losing control of the vehicle at a corner and propelling into a guardrail, as opposed to a terrorist act. Gelfand further admits that he understands the dire repercussions of his actions.
The Israeli tourism ministry confirmed that all of the 60 passengers on the bus were Russian travelers. Immediately after the accident had taken place, 40 ambulances were dispatched to rush the injured passengers to nearby hospitals, to possibly lessen causalities. Gelfand is being held responsible for such a regrettable catastrophe, and this is yet another example of the extent of damage that can be caused by speeding.