Eiad on his ambucycle after his rehabilitation concluded
EXCLUSIVE: One Year After Being Injured In An Act of Violence, EMT Saves Car Accident Victim
Tayibe – Eiad Azem is a United Hatzalah volunteer from the city of Tayibe, an Arab city in central Israel, and the deputy head of the team there. He is an incredible person who is always willing to help others. Eiad continues to volunteer and respond to emergencies, despite having been attacked himself during a violent incident that took place toward the end of December 2020.
There was an intense argument between some of his neighbors in Tayibe and he ran over to split up the fight. It was three men countering one man and Eiad jumped in between them. He didn’t have any weapons on him, nor any protective gear. Before he could stop the fight, he was stabbed, once in his shoulder and once in his left arm. Eiad managed to fend off the three men and they ran away. His neighbor took him to the hospital, where his deep wounds were stitched up, and he was given fluids and medications.
After a month and a half of rehab, he was finally able to return to work and continue to volunteer at United Hatzalah. “Thank G-d I am okay,” said Eiad, “The incident definitely tested my strength, but now after I have healed, I feel stronger and even more passionate about helping others. It is amazing to be able to go back out there and respond to emergencies.”
Yesterday (Wednesday) evening at around 5:00 p.m., a 20-year-old male pedestrian was hit by a passing truck at the northern intersection in Tayibe, Eiad, once again, rushed to help.
Eiad was with his wife at the time of the accident, getting his phone fixed in a store a two minutes drive away from the scene. As soon as he was alerted to the emergency he ran out of the store and got into their car. Traffic slowed them down a little, so it took them five minutes to arrive at the intersection.
At the scene, two local ambulances together with a paramedic and additional EMTs had arrived. Together with Eiad, the combined team began treating the man who lay unconscious on the asphalt. Eiad recognized the man as a friend of his from the neighborhood.
It was a chaotic scene, with friends and family members of the man all crowded around in the middle of the busy intersection and rightfully worried for his well-being. Adding even more chaos was the fact that it had just started to rain making the road wet, slippery, and dangerous. Eiad concluded that the scene was too dangerous to treat the patient on the street and advised the paramedic to transfer the man into the ambulance so that he could be treated inside a safe environment.
Eiad helped the paramedic bring the patient inside and then, being a licensed ambulance driver, he took the wheel and started to drive in the direction of the nearest hospital. Suddenly, the man woke up, and being disoriented, became wild and violent. Eiad stopped the ambulance and climbed into the back to help the paramedic. The patient was quickly sedated so he couldn’t harm himself in all the confusion. Eiad and the paramedic immobilized the man’s spine and neck and intubated him while providing him with oxygen. Eiad climbed back into the driver’s seat and the ambulance continued on its way to the hospital where the man was quickly admitted to the trauma center for further care and treatment.
“I’m proud to be a part of United Hatzalah,” said Eiad, “Many of my family members also volunteer with me at United Hatzalah, including my wife. We even learned in a course together and completed our training together. It was a great experience for both of us. Being first responders is something our whole family takes pride in and enjoys doing. I am happy that I am able to do it once again after my own rehabilitation process was complete. Saving lives and helping people is important to me and it is something I share with my entire family.”
