Driver Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Fatal Highway 5 Crash
A Lod court sentenced a professional truck driver to 10 years in prison for a fatal cannabis-fueled crash on Highway 5 that killed two women, including a pregnant mother.
A 10-year prison sentence was handed down by the Central District Court in Lod against Moustafa Shehab, a professional truck driver convicted of causing a fatal chain-reaction crash on Highway 5, which resulted in the deaths of two women and left several others injured.
One of the victims, 33-year-old Or Hnigen Nachman, was 16 weeks pregnant and lost her unborn child as a result of the collision. The second victim, 63-year-old Sharon Kenan, died shortly after arrival at the hospital, while her husband Ami, who was sitting beside her in the car, sustained serious injuries. Judge Michael Kreshen also disqualified Shehab from driving for 18 years and ordered him to pay a total of 300,000 shekels in compensation.
According to the amended indictment, which Shehab confessed to under a plea bargain, the tragic accident occurred on May 26, 2022. Shehab, who had worked as a truck driver for about 30 years, was driving a Volvo truck westbound on Highway 5 at a speed of at least 89.46 km/h in an area where the limit is 70 km/h, while under the influence of cannabis. Traffic had slowed down significantly ahead of him, yet he failed to brake despite clear daylight and optimal visibility conditions.
The truck slammed into the rear of the Daihatsu driven by Or, thrusting it into a Mazda carrying Sharon and Ami Kenan. The chain of impacts caused severe devastation before the truck finally came to a halt. Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics performed resuscitation efforts on Or, managing to restore a pulse en route to Beilinson Hospital, but she tragically succumbed to her injuries three days later.
During the sentencing hearings, the prosecution demanded 12 years in prison, highlighting Shehab's professional status and his extensive traffic record of 44 previous convictions. The defense argued for a lighter sentence, claiming that his degree of culpability was not exceptionally severe and disputing the timing of his cannabis consumption. Judge Kreshen rejected the defense's arguments, emphasizing the heightened duty of care required from professional drivers and noting that the loss of the unborn child compounded the gravity of the offense.