Luxembourg, Belgium – Funeral arrangements are being made in Antwerp for a well known Satmar askan who died this evening in a head on crash in the mountains of Belgium.
Yoel Tirnauer had taken an exit off the E25 highway and was heading onto the N89 southeast of Antwerp in Baraque de Fraiture when a truck transporting a load of wood slammed the side of his car, as reported by Belgian news sites Gazet Van Antwerpen and L’Avenir.
A witness told police that Tirnauer ran a stop sign and that the driver of the truck was unable to stop in time.
Firefighters and medical transport helicopters were summoned to the scene but were unable to save Tirnauer, who was pronounced dead at the accident site.
The driver of the truck was uninjured in the crash.
Tirnauer moved to Antwerp after his marriage and had become a well known member of the community.
The son of Yisroel Tirnauer of Williamsburg, the 30 year old was the father of two children.
Shulem Mermelstein, a friend and family of the niftar, said that he had begun dabbling in real estate over the past two years and was heavily entrenched in Antwerp’s Satmar community.
“He was taking care of the needs of the kollel in Antwerp, and doing everything related to keeping funds for the kollel,” Mermelstein told TOT News.
Tirnauer was described as someone who was known for his sensitivity and who lived to do for others. He frequently went as part of Mesamchim to visit the sick and was well known for his enthusiasm at community weddings.
Police are currently investigating the accident which took place on the highways leading to the Ardennes, a popular vacation spot for members of Antwerp’s Jewish community.
