Mount Herzl disaster: Six defendants to be tried

April 30, 2014   

The Jerusalem District Attorney's Office today (Wednesday) informed six suspects in the 2012 Mount Herzl light bridge collapse case that they are being considered for prosecution for the offenses of negligent death and negligent injury, subject to a hearing process that will be held for them, if they so desire. In a disaster that occurred on April 18, 2012, during rehearsals for the annual torch-lighting ceremony, Lieutenant Hila Bezaleli was killed after the lighting bridge collapsed on her. Bezaleli was supposed to participate as a standard-bearer in the ceremony and carry the Medical Corps flag. She was buried in the military cemetery on Mount Herzl, near the place where she lost her life. The suspects who were informed that their prosecution is being considered are Elad Lavie, Doron Lavie, Taimurz (Tomer) Leonidze, the "Stage Design" company, Yitzhak Zucker and Oren Varshevsky. The "Stage Design" company is the company that built the lighting bridge according to an agreement with the Ministry of Information. Doron and Elad Lavie were the owners of the company and served as the company's CEO and VP of Operations, respectively. Taimurz Leonidze served as the company's operations manager, Oren Varshevsky served as the structural engineer, and Yitzhak Zucker served as a consultant. Safety at the event. According to the statement from the Attorney General's Office, the complex investigation has established a foundation of prima facie evidence that the above-mentioned suspects negligently caused the collapse of the lighting bridge during rehearsals for the torch-lighting ceremony on Mount Herzl in 2012, an event that resulted in the death of the late Lieutenant Bezlali and the injury of additional soldiers. The decision was made by the Attorney General's Office after the investigation and evidence collection phase, which included the recent submission of a comprehensive and thorough expert opinion from the National Institute for Construction Research at the Technion, had been completed.