Truck Driver Arrested in Fatal West Bank Road Accident

Police have arrested a truck driver in connection with a fatal road accident on Route 465 in the West Bank that killed Yotam Avitan of Jerusalem and injured his girlfriend. The driver, a man in his 20s from Qalansawe, was detained on suspicion of negligent homicide. He was later released under restrictive conditions, and the investigation is ongoing.

The collision, which occurred Saturday night near the village of Kafr 'Abbud in western Benjamin, involved a truck and two private vehicles. Avitan, a resident of the Ramot neighborhood in Jerusalem, was killed when a trailer detached from the truck and struck his car, trapping him beneath it. His girlfriend, from the settlement of Neve Tzuf, sustained moderate injuries and was transported to the hospital.

Firefighters and volunteers from the Binyamin regional station conducted complex rescue operations to extract Avitan from the wreckage. Medical personnel pronounced him dead at the scene. Two other individuals sustained minor to moderate injuries and were evacuated by the Red Crescent.

Monie Ben Zion, a fire commander who led the rescue efforts, described the scene as "difficult," noting the complexity of extricating the victim trapped under the trailer. Paramedics reported Avitan was found unconscious with severe injuries. The investigation into the circumstances of the crash continues.