Family of Four Injured After Car Plunges 30 Meters Into Ravine

Four members of a family were injured on Thursday morning when their hybrid car veered off Highway 89 near the community of Meilya, heading towards Ma'alot, and plunged approximately 30 meters into a ravine. The father, around 60 years old, and his four-year-old son sustained serious injuries, while the mother, 35, and their infant daughter, about one year old, were moderately injured.

Emergency services, including firefighters from Nahariya and Zvulun stations and the special rescue unit from Kiryat, responded to the scene. They located the vehicle at the bottom of a steep slope with all four occupants trapped inside. Due to the challenging terrain, a controlled rescue operation using ropes was conducted. Firefighters also disconnected the vehicle's power sources to prevent any risk of fire.

Paramedics and EMTs from Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah provided initial medical treatment. The father, suffering from a head injury, was semi-conscious and in serious, unstable condition. The four-year-old boy also sustained a severe head injury. The mother had limb injuries, and the infant suffered facial injuries.

"This was a self-inflicted accident, a vehicle that rolled into a ravine," stated Baruch Michaeli, a United Hatzalah paramedic. "We provided initial medical treatment at the scene to four injured individuals, two seriously and two moderately, before they were evacuated to the Galilee Medical Center for further treatment."

MDA senior EMT Muhammad Zeitoun described the scene: "When we arrived, we saw the car in the ravine after it apparently rolled over during travel. There were four injured inside, two seriously: a man around 60, semi-conscious and in serious, unstable condition, and a four-year-old boy who also suffered a severe head injury. We provided life-saving medical treatment and evacuated them by intensive care units and ambulances to the hospital."

All four family members were transported to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya. Hospital officials confirmed that the two seriously injured and two moderately injured patients were admitted to the trauma unit for medical assessment.