Shmuel Efergen
Exclusive – “Can Someone Watch My Kids So I can Go Save a Life?”
“Can someone come upstairs to watch my kids? I’m a United Hatzalah EMT and that would allow me to come down and treat the people who are hurt.”
This is what Shmuel Efergen screamed to the gathered crowd of people below his apartment. The crowd had gathered following a car accident that had occurred just moments prior right below Efergen’s window in Ashdod on Keren Hayesod Street on Sunday.
“I was alone at home with my two children aged two-and-a-half and one-and-a-half. My wife was at work and I was watching them for the day. Just after 6:00 p.m. I received a call from United Hatzalah dispatch center alerting me to a motor vehicle accident on my street. Literally, it occurred below my window. I opened my window and saw the gathered crowd surrounding a pedestrian who was lying on the street. It appeared he had been hit by a car while crossing the street. People were trying to talk to him.”
“Without thinking twice I screamed to the people on the street and asked if someone could come up and watch my kids while I run down to help. One of my neighbors came up to watch my kids. I gave him two treats, one for each child so that they wouldn’t be scared of him. I then ran down the stairs with my medical equipment in tow and began to treat the injured pedestrian. I stayed with him until the ambulance was able to arrive to transport him to the hospital.”
Efergen added that: “It is always good to know that there are kind people in this world who understand the importance of what we do and who would come upstairs to watch my children thus allowing me the ability to treat this injured pedestrian with peace of mind. Luckily the pedestrian was only lightly injured and would make a full recovery.
Shmuel is one of 4,000 volunteers who form a nationwide network of EMS coverage and drop whatever they are doing to help others in an emergency.
