The soldier trapped in a bus luggage compartment recalls: "I realized that if he kept driving, I would lose my leg" | Exclusive

An unusual incident in Tiberias: A female soldier entered the luggage compartment of an Egged bus to retrieve her bag. At that moment, the luggage compartment door closed on her, trapping her leg, and the bus continued to drive while she was trapped inside. The bus stopped its journey when passersby noticed the soldier, and she was evacuated to the hospital following the injuries she sustained.

In an exclusive testimony to the "HaOlam HaBoker" program, the soldier recounted the details of the dangerous incident: "On Thursday, I left the base and boarded a line from Hatzor to Tiberias. As soon as I got off at the station, I asked the driver if he could open the luggage compartment for me, and I saw that my bag was inside. I entered with half my body to take out the bag, and he lowered the luggage compartment door."

"When I realized he was lowering the luggage compartment, I tried to push it with my leg, and then it got stuck," the soldier added. "I was sure he would notice and stop, but suddenly I realized he was continuing to drive while half my body was inside and my leg was stuck outside. I realized that if he kept driving, I would lose my leg." At that moment, the soldier called the police so they would locate the bus and stop it, and at the same time, she knocked on the bus luggage compartment so the passengers would notice."

"I was really helpless; I saw how my leg was already starting to rub against the road as he was driving. I couldn't stop crying, I couldn't breathe. If he had driven for another 2-3 minutes to the central bus station, I really don't even want to imagine what would have happened to me."

When the driver finally stopped the bus, another soldier came to the aid of the trapped soldier, forcefully opening the luggage compartment and freeing her.

Egged company responded:

"Egged regrets the incident. From an investigation conducted, it appears that the driver did not notice the soldier entering the luggage compartment and was sure that she had already gotten off the bus and walked away. As soon as he realized the matter, the driver stopped, rescued her, and checked with her if she needed medical treatment. Egged wishes her a speedy recovery."