Thursday’s Be’er Sheva rocket attack might have ended in tragedy had a Be’er Sheva resident not arrived on the scene to give first aid. Yoav Lavi, a Be’er Sheva resident who lives nearby the site where Thursday’s rocket exploded, was the first to arrive at the scene. Through his quick thinking, he helped save the life of a woman who was critically injured by rocket fragments that penetrated her body.
Lavi had applied his theoretical first-aid knowledge to practice when he immediately ran to the direction of the rocket and started to treat the woman. Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics transferred the victim to Soroka Medical Center’s Trauma Center in Be’er Sheva.
“She had a huge wound. It was very difficult for her to speak. However, she complained about horrendous stomach pains. The situation was a bit stressful. I kept communicating with her as her consciousness was hazy,” stated Lavi. “Had I not taken a first-aid course and known the necessary procedures, I would’ve stood helplessly, and it’s possible that the event would’ve ended in a tragic way.”
An MDA paramedic that treated the victim and transferred her to the hospital said that the first aid that was immediately given to the victim prevented a decline in her condition and allowed for expidited evacuation to the hospital.
MDA CEO Eli Bin has repeatedly stressed that the public should take courses in first-aid and resuscitation in order to save lives.
Another five people were wounded in the attack, one seriously and four who suffered light to moderate wounds. The public is asked to pray for the health of a seven-year-old boy who was badly wounded in the attack. His name is Orel ben (son of) Angela.