Grandmother who lost her son and six grandchildren in an accident in the Dead Sea: "The driver killed me too"

Yariv Atar's mother, who was killed along with his wife and six children in a collision on Highway 90, came to the witness stand at the driver's argument hearing for the punishment of the driver and told how her family's life was destroyed. "It is important for me to know why he got around and caused their deaths," she said. As part of the settlement, the prosecutor's office is required to sentence 13 years to Lauren Anker

Grandmother who lost her son and six grandchildren in an accident in the Dead Sea: "The driver killed me too"

More than a year after the serious accident on Highway 90 near the Dead Sea, in which eight members of the Atar family were killed, their relatives urged the court today to impose the harshest sentence on Lauren Ankeri, who was convicted of manslaughter with ease. During a discussion of arguments for the driver's punishment, she went to Ziona booth, the mother of rival Atar, and said in tears that "this driver killed me too. This person destroyed our family."

Representatives from the State Prosecutor's Office said that Anker, aged 12-18 years, should be sentenced, but reached a 13-year settlement after also considering the injury to his defendant and his family. According to them, "We have also cursed the injury to the defendant. There is no room for further relief from this number. We must not go down from 13 years."

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"We destroyed the family." The Atar family (Photo: courtesy of the family)

Atar family killed in an accident in the south (Photo: Courtesy of the family)

An accident investigation revealed that 52-year-old Anker was driving his car on Highway 90 near the Dead Sea. Shortly afterwards, a jeep from the opposite lane arrived from where a rival driver was driving, while the seven members of his family were sitting in the vehicle. At one point of the trip, Ankri decided to overtake the vehicle traveling in front of him at high speed. He performed a dangerous bypass although the opposite lane was blocked in the Atar family jeep. The cars collided and the family car started to burn.

In the accident, father Yariv and mother Shoshi and their six children, residents of Psagot, were killed: Ya'akov Israel 12, Ateret 11 years old, Ayala nine years old, Moriah 7 years old, five year old friend and three years old Abigail.

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"How does he get around this place?" The scene of the accident, October 2018 (Photo: ZAKA spokeswoman)

Accident near the Dead Sea October 30, 2018 (Photo: Zak? A, Walla system! NEWS)

"It is important for me to know why he was circumvented in a way that endangered my family and caused his death. He took the life of an entire family," the grandmother said. "He looked in after the accident and did not take a stone to break the windshield. When I showed his wife my children's pictures she said 'Go go, we have enough trouble.' I am not surprised that such a family is driving on the road as if it were theirs. It was not easy killing, but mindfulness. "

"What I realized was the lawyer's purpose was to convince the court that he did not use drugs," Ziona added. "If he does not use drugs, it only aggravates the punishment. How does he get around this place when he doesn't know the way?"

"I'm entering an empty house"

Yariv's sister, Ariel, turned to Anker's wife: "I get up in the morning because I have children and I have to, but that doesn't mean I am functioning. Every day we are in pain talks.

"Do you know what it is to go through your niece's mitzvah when she is away?", She asked. "Hear from friends about her joy of life that no longer exists. The naughty of my fourth niece who won't climb trees and pick fruit. My nephew who just started to bloom and talk - he couldn't do it. Empty. My husband gets up in the middle of the night and says 'How did he kill us?' My six-year-old daughter talks about death. Asking if she won't play with them anymore?