A spring afternoon on Saturday, the weekend before Memorial Day, took a deadly turn on a crowded Coney Island beach. Putting their own lives at risk, EMTs Andrew DeSantis and Merisa Simons were among the first on the scene of a single-engine plane crash and valiantly tried to provide medical treatment to the pilot and three passengers who were pinned inside the twisted fuselage.
At 1334 hours, bystanders flagged down 43 Adam and told the crew that a plane had just crashed on the beach. EMTs DeSantis and Simons grabbed their equipment and a handful of triage tags. They knew there was great potential for multiple casualties.
They immediately headed onto the beach near West 16th Street, notifying the dispatcher of their location as they approached the scene about 50 feet from the water line.
When they arrived at the crash site, the aroma of jet fuel permeated the air. The aircraft had plunged nose first into the beach, with portions of the twisted wreckage jutting out everywhere and fuel leaking into the sand. The crew acted quickly to radio an accurate report so that no one would get hurt responding to the scene. 43 Adam reported: “Will advise condition, we just got on the beach and we need two Basic Life Support (BLS) and one Advanced Life Support (ALS).”
EMTs DeSantis and Simons relied on their training to rapidly assess the condition of each patient to determine the extent of his/her injuries and provide the appropriate treatment to increase chances of survival.
Gaining access to the Cessna 172’s cabin was a major problem because the force of the crash left the small plane buried deep in the sand. With the assistance of other emergency service personnel and bystanders, they anxiously cleared debris and sand and got through the twisted wreckage, through the roof--which had to be cut open--and into the plane’s crumpled cabin. Once inside, it was apparent that all of the occupants were killed on impact.
For their determined efforts to disentangle, gain access and attempt to treat the patients without regard for their personal safety, the Department presents the Lieutenant Kirby McElhearn Medal to EMTs Andrew J. DeSantis and Merisa A. Simons.--RT |
