Famed online gambling businessman killed in plane crash, son injured
Fire and Rescue teams arrived on the scene and extracted both passengers, who were initially trapped inside the aircraft.
By IDAN ZONSHINE, TAMAR URIEL-BEERIA light plane which crashed near Yakum(photo credit: ISRAEL FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY SPOKESMAN)
A light aircraft crashed on Saturday near Yakum, just south of Netanya, causing the death of a 52-year-old man who was found unconscious and trapped within the aircraft.Shay Ben-Yitzhak, one of two pairs of brothers who founded the gambling site "888," was the man killed in the crash. His 11-year-old son was injured and trapped in the crash just south of Netanya and was first regarded as being in severe condition, according to a Magen David Adom (MDA) spokesperson. Later in the day, after being evacuated to Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, the child was said to be lightly injured and was moved to the children's intensive care unit.Fire and Rescue teams arrived on the scene and extracted both passengers, who were initially trapped inside the aircraft.“It was a very difficult extraction, under very harsh conditions, because the aircraft itself was full of fuel, some of which even spilled onto the trapped father and son,” Netanya Fire and Rescue officer Danny Yosefsberg said. “The father and the child were rescued using hydraulic tools and then transferred for further MDA treatment.”MDA medics called the death of Ben-Yitzhak onsite shortly after arriving at the scene, while the son, who was found to be conscious, was airlifted to the nearest hospital by a military helicopter. There is still no clear reason why the plane crashed, as it was found diving nose into the ground. A team of investigators from the Chief Accident Investigator at the Transport Ministry are looking into the matter.The crash occurred after three weeks in which flights such as this one were not permitted due to the coronavirus pandemic. The ban on flights of light aircraft was lifted in mid-April.Ben-Yitzhak founded the online gambling site 888.com, one of the most popular of its kind in the world, along with his brother Ron, and another pair of brothers, Avi and Aaron Shaked. The four of them based the company in Gibraltar and had it trade shares on the London Stock Exchange for further reach. Additionally they managed to land a contract with the New York Jets of the NFL.
