Scene of the accident
Scene of the accidentPolice spokesperson

An 11-year-old girl was killed Monday night in a car accident near Gan Hashlosha National Park (Sakhne).

The girl, identified as Batsheva Esther Shimonovitz from Bnei Brak, was killed on Route 669, after a vehicle hit her as she crossed the street near the park.

Magen David Adom (MDA) teams arriving at the scene attempted to resuscitate Shimonovitz and evacuated her to Ha'emek Medical Center, where staff conducted additional attempts at resuscitation and eventually were forced to declare her death.

Police investigated the circumstances surrounding the accident, and following this, Shimonovitz's body was released for burial, and she was interred Monday night in the cemetery in Elad. The ZAKA organization helped the family through burial procedures.

Shimonovitz is the daughter of Rabbi Shabti Shimonovitz, and was named after Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky's wife Batsheva.

Israel Chasid, ZAKA spokesman, said, "Unfortunately, during the entire vacation period, we at ZAKA are handling terrible tragedies. Please! With a bit of thought and attention, increasing awareness and proper preparation for the trip, we can prevent the next tragedy from occurring."

Israel Police responded: "Israel Police have opened an investigation into the circumstances of the traffic accident which occurred a short time ago on Route 669 near the Sakhne junction, during which a girl of 12 was hit as she crossed the street where there was no crosswalk and was hit by a vehicle. As a result of this, she was evacuated in critical condition (according to medical sources) to the Ha'emek hospital in Afula. Police officers and traffic investigators from the Northern District are now at the scene of the incident and have begun investigating the circumstances of the event."