Monsey Resident Aids in The Rescue of Accident Victim

by M.C. Millman

Rabbi Lipa Berger was driving upstate on the Palisades Parkway yesterday afternoon when he witnessed the rollover accident of a white pickup truck.

"I left New City at 1:48 to go upstate," Berger tells Rockland Daily. "Between Exit 15 and 16, I watched as a white pickup truck veered off the road and flipped over in a matter of seconds. The vehicle was in the right lane, and I was in the left lane. I went onto the shoulder right away. I saw the woman inside and a lot of smoke coming out from under the hood so I was afraid that the truck will explode."

The truck had landed on the driver's door, so Berger was unable to open the door to pull the driver out. Instead, with the help of a heavy hammer from a contractor who also stopped to help, he attempted to break through the windshield. Before they managed to break through the glass, another good Samaritan jumped onto the vehicle and successfully extricated the victim through the door which was positioned above the women's seat.

"I got some cuts as a result of the rescue which the EMTs cleaned up for me," Berger says.  

Police arrived about five minutes after the accident was reported, and by then, the accident victim was safely away from the wreckage.

"The driver probably got distracted for a second," Berger reflects when asked if he had any ideas how the accident might have happened. "It takes exactly a tenth of a second to lose control when you're driving so fast."

The driver was taken to Nyack hospital by Stony Point EMTs.