Hatzalah Member Narrowly Avoids Wrong-Way Driver Before Tragic Crash

By Matis Glenn

A Hatzalah member driving on the New York State Thruway was, b’chasdei Hashem, able to narrowly avoid colliding with an oncoming driver, who was going the wrong way on the highway.

The Hatzalah member was on his way home with his wife and newborn son early Tuesday morning, at around 1:15am, when he noticed headlights coming towards him. Dashcam footage from his car shows a vehicle driving down South on the Northbound side of the Thruway, in the Hatzalah member’s lane.

At first, changing lanes wasn’t possible, because a large truck was in the next lane. He turned on his siren and lights, alerting the truck driver, who changed to the next lane, allowing a safe passage.

The collision was missed by mere moments.  

“It was a neis; I thank Hashem so much for saving my life,” the Hatzalah member told Hamodia.

The Hatzalah member proceeded to call 911 to report the dangerous vehicle; they responded that they were already aware of the situation and had dispatched units to the area.

About 15 minutes later, calls came in reporting a crash on the Thruway involving a driver on the wrong side of the highway. While not confirmed, it appears that the same driver who almost hit the Hatzalah member crashed into the vehicle driven by Rav Yidel Weinstock z”l, gabbai of the Satmar Rebbe. Rav Weinstock was tragically killed in the collision, together with the other driver, identified as George Gonzalez, 68, of Dumont, N.J. There were no passengers in either vehicle.