Officers, bystander lift backhoe off man

Staff report

LIBERTY

Township police officers Pete DeAngelo and Alliy Anastis-Nichols, with the help of a bystander, lifted an overturned bucket-backhoe a few inches off the trapped operator at his home Saturday and held it up for some three minutes until township firefighters arrived to take over the rescue.

DeAngelo feared the victim, Jim Wilson of Tanglewood Drive, was dead. However he resumed breathing on his own after about 10 minutes. The accident was reported at 5:22 p.m.

DeAngelo said it appeared that the back tire of the bucket-backhoe dipped into a ditch, causing it to roll and throwing Wilson from the seat. Wilson was trapped by the roll-bar across his chest constricting his breathing. He was taken to St. Elizabeth Youngstown Hospital. His condition was unknown Saturday night.

A neighbor called The Vindicator and said the unknown bystander who helped police is Albert Riley of Tanglewood Drive. She called him a hero.