Last week, a United Hatzalah EMT who witnessed a deadly bus crash in Jerusalem sprang into action, using his tzitzit for a tourniquet.
Shalom Klein, a United Hatzalah EMT, was standing at the bus stop on Shamgar Street on Thursday night with his wife and seven-month-old daughter. A bus careened out of control and smashed into the bus stop where he and his wife and their young daughter were standing.
Miraculously, Shalom and his family were all okay, although other people were not. Shalom quickly took his family to safety across the street and then rushed back to help the injured. Shalom ran back across the street and saw a mother and daughter lying on the ground. They were beyond help.
Then he found a young woman with severe injuries to both of her legs. He took off his tzitzit and tied them around one of her legs as a tourniquet, stemming the blood flow. Another volunteer EMT from United Hatzalah arrived and tied a tourniquet on her other leg.
Shalom afterwards said,
“I never thought my tzitzit would save someone’s life, but they did on Thursday. I am glad that my family is safe, it was an absolute miracle that we weren’t hurt ourselves. The bus careened into the people gathered at the bus stop and it hit people right and left. I believe that I was spared so that I could save this young woman’s life. I was in the right place at the right time to help. I used what I had on me and I improvised just like we are taught in training. Today that lesson saved a life.”
