GREENFIELD — Quick thinking and fast reaction by a few neighbors and two strangers may have saved the life of a Greenfield man pinned beneath a car at 212 Davis St.
At around 12:30 p.m., Thursday afternoon, Shelburne Falls resident Aarin Coates was repairing a hose line underneath an Oldsmobile Cutlass, owned by his fiance, Tabitha Sisto, when the jack slipped and the car fell on his chest. Sisto’s aunt, Heidi Mayhew, who lives at the apartment house where the accident occurred, was inside watching TV when she heard screaming and ran outside to see what happened.
“He was working on this car right here,” Mayhew said Friday, pointing to the blue Oldsmobile parked in the back. “The doctor said if he’d been under there for longer, he would have died. We saved his life.”
After realizing what happened, Mayhew ran back inside and called 911. Emergency workers arrived soon after.
Greenfield Fire Chief Robert Strahan said when firefighters arrived, Coates was out from under the car, “conscious and alert.” Emergency responders called for a helicopter and airlifted him to UMass Medical Center in Worcester as a precaution.
According to Mayhew, Coates broke about a dozen ribs, but will recover. The car was lifted off Coates by Stevie Jackman, who was visiting the apartment, neighbor Dan Richotte and postal carrier Richard Ridenour, who happened to be at the house, and two unknown passersby who left quickly after.
“All four were here like that, at the exact same time,” said Richotte, who ran outside from his kitchen and found Coates pinned beneath the car. Richotte said the four other men lifted the car slightly, relieving pressure, while he jacked up the car enough to pull Coates to safety.
“(The) two men were just walking by and heard screaming. I don’t know who they were,” Mayhew said about the two unidentified good Samaritans. She posted on Facebook soon after, hoping to say “thank you,” but hasn’t found the strangers yet.
“I really just want to say the biggest thank you I can possibly give to all the people who helped save his life,” Sisto said about how Coates is doing now. “He is doing really well and is expected to make a full recovery and should be home by Tuesday. If it wasn’t for the people who helped him he wouldn’t be here right now. He suffered 12 fractured ribs but no other injuries. I just need to say thank you again from the very bottom of my heart for everyone who was involved and the quick thinking and actions of everyone who helped save my future husband’s life.”
You can reach Andy Castillo
at: acastillo@recorder.com
or 413-772-0261, ext. 263
On Twitter: @AndyCCastillo