Gershon and his bike
IsraelSeen Exclusive – Saving The Child Of A Rude Driver
United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Gershon Ben David hails from the coastal city of Netanya, works as a Jewish educator and is an active volunteer whose lifesaving activities often interrupt his outreach and educational work.
One of the Gershon’s more memorable incidents occurred shortly after receiving his ambucycle. Gershon was teaching an evening Torah class for young adults when their studies were interrupted by an urgent alert from United Hatzalah dispatch and command center who alerted Gershon that a baby nearby was choking.
“My apologies, friends!” Gershon quickly called to his students. “Someone needs me!” Gershon dashed out to his ambucycle, flicked on the flashing lights and rushed to the scene. He was doing his best to wind through the evening traffic safely. At one busy intersection, an exasperated motorist called out to him in frustration. “Sorry for the inconvenience!” Gershon answered him. “A little girl is choking!” With that, he sped past the bewildered driver, hurrying to the nearby residence.
Gershon found the patient and her mother anxiously waiting outside the apartment building. The mother was sobbing and crying for help as she cradled her 1-year-old daughter who was turning blue. The United Hatzalah medic quickly took the tiny patient in his arms, flipped the baby over and administered a series of measured back blows. Within mere seconds, Gershon managed to clear the little girl’s airway and save her life. The young girl began to cry, a welcome sound given the circumstances of the past few minutes.
Just then, the frustrated motorist appeared at the scene. He began honking his horn. The man apparently lived in the very same apartment building and was frustrated because the entrance to the parking lot was blocked by Gershon’s ambucycle.
While honking, the man noticed that something was strange. His wife was standing outside holding their crying daughter and talking to the very motorcyclist who had gotten in his way twice. The man soon put two and two together. The United Hatzalah EMT whom he had honked and yelled at, had just saved his own daughter’s life. The man got out of his car, and turned stark white, embarrassed at his behavior towards the EMT whose ambucycle, rather than being a source of consternation, turned out to be the vehicle of his family’s salvation.
Additional resources arrived and Gershon quietly took his leave, allowing the father to simply relish the precious moment with his wife and daughter. The United Hatzalah volunteer soon returned to his class, sharing this profound life-saving tale. His young students drew moral lessons and encouragement from their inspiring teacher.
