New York police officers rescued a crashed ATV rider last month, navigating a remote, steep hill and thick underbrush to reach the man, who had been screaming for help for hours.
The ATV crash happened July 20 in East Greenbush, and a passerby had heard the rider's cries for help, WRGB-TV reports. Police were contacted, and three officers—Officers Brenden Finch, Keith Millington and Zack Milkiewicz—could hear the person's screams when they reached the scene, according to WNYT-TV.
Running into the woods, the officers followed the man's voice, and one of the officers began making a 500-foot climb through heavy vegetation.
“This hill is probably a 70-degree angle with all those vines and everything,” said East Det. Sgt. Michael Guadagnino. “Officer Finch made it look pretty easy!”
Eventually, Finch spotted the ATV and then found the seriously injured rider.
“He’d been there for approximately two hours, yelling for help," said Guadagnino. "His cellphone and everything else had been on the ATV, so he wasn’t able to move to it due to the injury. He was conscious, alert, breathing. Obviously in extreme pain"
According to Guadagnino, the rider suffered a broken leg but is recovering. He credited the officers' efforts with creating a positive outcome to a tough situation.
“That we were able to locate this man, that somebody was conscious enough to call this in, if not, he could have been there overnight, possibly for days because that’s not an area that most people frequent," said Guadagnino. "We just wanted to show that these officers, young officers, went above and beyond and did a great job that day.”
