On Monday morning, a man in his 20s experienced leaped into the Jordan River near Kibbutz Gadot, struck his head on a rock, and sustained a significant injury. His friends alerted emergency services.
Moshe Rothschild, a teacher, and a United Hatzalah volunteer EMT, was nearby on a school trip with his students when he received the urgent notification from the dispatch center. He delegated his responsibilities to his fellow teachers and raced to the scene, arriving in a remarkable two minutes.
Rothschild found the injured man in the water, his head supported by two friends to minimize further harm. With assistance from the two friends and United Hatzalah volunteer EMT Roshdi Hussein who arrived at the same time, Rothschild moved the man out of the water to a safer place in the shade. The volunteer then cleaned the wound and applied a field dressing to the man’s head to control the hemorrhaging, then added a dressing for security.
Rothschild and Hussein worked together with another first responder to assess the man’s vital signs and administer intravenous fluids. They took precautions by immobilizing the patient’s spine and monitored his stability until the arrival of an intensive care ambulance, some 20 minutes later.
Given the gravity of the man’s condition and the distance to the nearest hospital, the intensive care crew initially considered transporting him by helicopter. Unfortunately, no helicopters were available at the time.
Rothschild is a Haredi Jew, and Hussein and the injured man are Muslims. Rothschild pointed out that “it was remarkable to witness the cooperation among individuals, which, despite our different backgrounds, happens in Israel all the time.”
“In situations like these, it doesn’t matter who the patient is, saving lives takes precedence, this is the true essence of United Hatzalah,” Rothschild said.
