As heavy rain has fallen on many parts of Israel causing flooding and road closures, Magen David Adom’s emergency dispatch center received a critical call this week about a man lying unconscious in the yard of his home.
The man had suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed during desperate attempts to clear a drainage channel that was flooded by heavy rains at a moshav in the Be’er Tuvia Regional Council.
Issachar Weiss, a paramedic from MDA’s Medicycle unit, was at home in a nearby community, and was dispatched to the scene within seconds.
Despite treacherous weather conditions, Weiss arrived at the unconscious man’s house in just four minutes. He found the 54-year-old man lying unconscious in the pouring rain. Without hesitation, he began advanced resuscitation operations.
Within a short time, additional MDA emergency responders arrived, including paramedics Noa Abitbol and Liav Yaakobi. Working together under increasingly severe weather conditions, the team performed lengthy resuscitation efforts.
After 11 electric shocks from a defibrillator, the man’s heart started beating again. He was transported in stable condition to Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot while receiving continuous medical and respiratory treatment. Remarkably, during the ride to the hospital, he regained full consciousness.
“When I arrived at the man’s house, I found him lying in a puddle, completely drenched, and I immediately began trying to resuscitate him. With each passing minute, the rain only grew stronger, but I knew I didn’t have a moment to waste. When his heart beat again after 11 electric shocks, it was a moment of great hope,” recalled Weiss.
“Seeing him regain consciousness on the way to the hospital is a moment I will remember for the rest of my life.”
