Rescue is all in a day's work

The volunteer cop said he chose a law enforcement career to help people.
By NANCY TULLIS
VINDICATOR SALEM BUREAU
WASHINGTONVILLE -- A Sunday morning of winter fun nearly turned to tragedy for Richard Gay.
Fortunately, his 13-year-old grandson, Richard "Trip" Russell, found Washingtonville Patrolman Frank Anderson in time.
Gay, 60, is recovering at home after breaking his back in a Jan. 13 four-wheeler accident.
Anderson, 26, lives in Austintown. He is one of two Washingtonville patrolmen gaining law enforcement experience as part-time volunteers. He has been with the department six months and is a full-time welder.
Gay lives on state Route 14 on the west side of the village. He said his accident happened while he and Trip were riding four-wheelers in the woods behind Gay's home, as they often do.
Bad accident: The pair had been riding about two hours in about 20-degree weather when, at about 11 a.m., Gay drove up a steep slope and the four wheeler hit a patch of ice in a shady spot at the top. The vehicle lost traction and slid back down the hill, slamming Gay into a tree.
Before the day was done, Gay would be carried out of the woods, ride in an ambulance and then a helicopter. He was treated at Salem Community Hospital, then flown to UPMC, Pittsburgh.
Gay later learned that he had several shattered vertebrae and a broken tailbone.
"I saw the X-rays," he said. "It just looks like you dropped a plate on the floor. The pieces are all in there."
Gay said he spent the first 20 minutes after the accident trying to calm and reassure Trip, and trying to get up.
"I was on my side because that hurt the least," he recalled. "I was lucky. I could have been paralyzed.
"At first I thought I'd broken my leg," he said. "I hit my head, too. My helmet has marks on it. Trip was scared and crying. I told him to just sit there a few minutes and calm down. I told him I wasn't going to die."
Lucky break: Gay sent Trip to the house for help, and he spotted Anderson at the convenience store across the street.
"He just told me his grandpa wrecked the four wheeler and couldn't move," Anderson said.
Anderson and Trip raced to where Gay lay, about a mile into the woods from the house.
"I thought we'd never get there," Anderson said. He was surprised later when he checked the police logs and found the rescue took about 55 minutes.
"It seemed like much longer than that," Anderson said. "I would have said two hours at least."
"It seemed like an eternity to me," Gay added.
"He gave me his coat and was just standing there in his shirtsleeves," Gay said. "I knew he was freezing and I felt kind of guilty. That coat sure felt good, though."
Anderson shrugged off Gay's concern. "It was cold, sure," he said, "but it's part of the job."
Anderson said it took only a few minutes for Leetonia firefighters and a Rural Metro Ambulance to arrive. Travel from the highway to where Gay lay, however, was another matter.
"It's not easy to walk around back in there, let alone get a vehicle in," Gay said. "They drove me out, and I felt every bump in that field, believe me; but I was glad to get out of there."
Carried out: Anderson said firefighters responded with a four-wheel drive truck and an ambulance. Medics immobilized Gay with a backboard and a neck brace, and carried him part of the way in a rescue basket.
Then they put the basket on the back of the truck and drove to the ambulance.
Gay was later told his body temperature in the emergency room was 89 degrees, and that was after he had been covered with a blanket and spent time in a heated ambulance.
Anderson said he covered Gay with his coat and told him not to move, then just kept him talking until more help arrived.
"You do all this training, and when you need it, it just kicks in," Anderson said. "You just do what you need to do. You don't even think about it.
"That's what law enforcement is all about -- helping people," he said. "It's not about the traffic tickets.
"I chose a law enforcement career because I want to make a difference in the community," he said. "I finally had a chance."
How he is now: Gay still wears a back brace and has had physical therapy. He said he suffered intense pain for several weeks, but it has lessened now.
He has a doctor's appointment in two weeks to determine what further treatment is needed. He alternates between periods of bed rest and sitting in a chair. He watches television and enjoys watching the birds at the feeders outside his windows on a bright, spacious sun porch.
"I didn't want to go to a nursing home," he said. "This is much better."
Doctors say more healing is needed before he can do more intensive therapy. If the bones don't heal properly, he will have surgery.
"I sure was glad to see him," Gay said of Anderson's arrival after the accident. "I wanted out of there. When I saw him, I knew help was on the way."