An 'angel' came to Nassau cop's rescue
A doctor called him Officer Kenneth Baribault's "angel."
The way Philip Scarfi sees it, he was simply "in the right place at the right time."
Scarfi, 46, pulled over, grabbed his first aid kit and made his way across six lanes of traffic to pull the officer from the wreckage.
Scarfi, a New York City firefighter from Deer Park, reacted quickly after an alleged drunken driver plowed into Baribault Sunday morning during a traffic stop on the Long Island Expressway in Plainview.
Scarfi, 46, pulled over, grabbed his first aid kit and made his way across six lanes of traffic to pull the officer from the wreckage. Scarfi also used the officer's radio to alert police that one of their own was down.
"I am not the hero," Scarfi said during a news conference Monday at Engine Company 235 in Bedford-Stuyvesant, where he has spent all of his 20 years in the department. "That police officer is the hero. He was doing his job . . . and unfortunately he's the one who was seriously injured doing his job."
Baribault, 30, remained in critical condition Tuesday morning at Nassau University Medical Center, a hospital spokeswoman said. The morning of the accident, doctors performed surgery to remove swelling and pressure on the officer's brain.
Dr. Glenn Faust, chairman of surgery at the East Meadow hospital, credited Scarfi, whom he called Baribault's "angel," for his actions.
Faust said doctors operated within a critical time period to relieve pressure on the officer's brain and, they hoped, stave off further injury.
In a statement, the family thanked Scarfi, saying they "look forward to meeting him and expressing our appreciation in person."
Scarfi said he appreciated the attention, "but it's really not about me."
Recalling the accident, Scarfi said he was headed west on the expressway on his way to work when in the distance he saw what looked like a "major collision" sending up a "dust and debris cloud." As he was crossing traffic, he realized a police officer was involved in the accident.
Scarfi said he could tell Baribault was "obviously gravely injured" and when he reached the officer he was not breathing, but had a pulse, adding the officer was "blue around the lips."
The firefighter said he was able to support the officer's neck and grab him by the shoulders and, with the help of a passing motorist, managed to get him out of the car.
Scarfi called for help on his police radio, identifying himself as a New York City firefighter who was assisting an officer who was down, giving the location before assisting him.
Scarfi's supervising officer, Lt. John Cullen, 49, of Bayside, commended Scarfi for knowing to use the officer's personal radio to call for help, saying the action "saved precious time because there is a direct line to their police dispatcher. I would safely assume that would have saved two or three minutes and effected a quicker response."
At the news conference, Scarfi recalled that in 2000 his family was in a "very serious auto accident," that required removing passengers through a window.
"There was a passerby who assisted them," Scarfi said. "I am glad he was there and I am thankful for that."
Staff Writer Ridgely Ochs contributed to this story.
Posted Tuesday, May 20, 2008
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