Hit and Run
Chapter 6
It had been a routine shift for the medics, firefighters and police officers of the 55th Precinct. But then again, everyone knew that the hit and runs didn't occur during the daylight hours. It was getting later and everyone was beginning to be on a higher alert, looking twice before going around to the sides of the vehicles or near the street. They all felt safe at the start of a call - it was when the call had ended - usually an unfounded call - and they were returning to their vehicles that the trouble had started.
The fire department was out at a car accident with a small fire in the middle of 102nd and Lex. There were plenty of spectators watching because it was a beautiful late afternoon and the fire department always seemed to draw a crowd - more so after 9/11. Bosco had traffic closed down on the southside of the accident, parking his unit - 55-Edward - across the intersection, and Faith and Shore were working on the northside out of 55-David. They were each re-routing traffic to the streets around the scene. The crews were cleaning up their equipment.
Boy 55-3 had just left the scene with Doc and Alex to transport the driver of the car with minor injuries to Angel of Mercy. They had just rounded the corner away from the scene when a dark-colored, late model sedan came roaring around the corner nearly running into the side of them. If not for Alex's quick maneuvering they would have collided for sure. Thinking back, she would wish that she had not gotten out of the car's way for if the car hit the ambulance, Doc and Alex would have been somewhat protected by their vehicle and the horrible scene she was now looking at would not have happened.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the car came around the corner it was headed straight for the side of the ambulance. Alex yelled back to Doc to hold on and swerved out of the way and slammed on the brakes. Everything seemed to go in slow motion and she saw the damage to the driver's side of the vehicle; the broken headlight, the dented fender and hood, the broken windshield. Kim being thrown through the air and landing on the roadway flashed through her mind and she reached for the radio as she realized that the car was headed right into the accident scene they had just left.
"Boy 55-5 to Central!" she screamed into the microphone. "Notify fire and PD at our call that the hit and run vehicle is heading in their direction at a high rate of speed. Tell them to get out of the way!" she finished as she threw the radio microphone on the seat, put the rig in park and jumped out to run back to the scene. "Alex, come back here!" yelled Doc, but she was already gone. He could only look out the back window of the bus and see her round the corner.
At the same time that Alex was heading back to the scene, the warning went out over the FDNY and NYPD radios. "Central to all units operating at 102nd and Lex. Boy 55-3 reports that suspected hit and run vehicle is coming in your direction at a high rate of speed. Use caution. Repeating. Suspect hit and run vehicle is heading in your direction. Clear the roadway."
Sully and Ty were just finishing up a shoplifter call and were returning to their unit when the announcement came over the radio. They quickly looked at each other, jumped in the RMP and headed off in the direction of 102nd and Lex.
As Alex was running back toward the accident scene, she heard tires screeching and people screaming. Then she heard a terrible crashing sound. She rounded the corner and pulled up short, taking in the awful scene in front of her. She froze momentarily, her brain unable to process what she was seeing. The sound of people calling for help brought her back to the moment and she began to move. She didn't have her portable radio with her, but she ran up to the first radio she could find. She reached down to the unmoving officer on the ground, unclipped the radio from the officer's shoulder, automatically checking for a pulse at the same time and feeling none.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sully and Ty were racing toward the scene along with multiple other units and the Lieutenant, who was responding from the station house.
"What the hell is this guy doing out in the daylight?" yelled Davis to Sully over the noise of their racing engine and siren.
"I don't know, Davis. But I wanna get this bastard! Did you hear who was handling that call?" he yelled back over to Ty.
Then they heard, "Central to 55-David and 55-Edward. What is your status?" There was no answer. "Central to 55-David and 55-Edward, Officers Yokas and Boscorelli. What is your status?" Still no response.
"Dammit!" exclaimed Sully and Davis at the same time as Sully pressed down further on the accelerator.
Finally there was a voice on the radio. "Central, this is Paramedic Alex Taylor. 10-13 Officer down," she said, alarm rising in her voice as she surveyed the scene. "Central! 10-13! We have multiple officers down. We have FDNY down and we have multiple civilians down! We need help here!"
"Central to Medic Taylor. Your message was received. Fire, EMS and PD is enroute," came the response from the dispatcher in a calm manner, trying to help Alex to calm down.
Alex looked back down at the officer, again feeling for a pulse and finding none. She checked for the severity of the injuries and determined that the officer could not be saved. She went on to the next injured person and heard Doc come up behind her. "Jesus! Alex are you okay?"
"Yeah, Doc. I'm fine, but look at this," she said, fighting to keep her composure. Doc looked over the scene and started to help Alex triage patients, telling the ones that weren't injured to help care for the least injured until more help arrived. They could hear a heavy onslaught of sirens rapidly approaching.
Alex and Doc heard a car come screeching around the corner and immediately feared the worst - thinking that the hit and run driver was coming back to do more damage. They looked up to see 55-Charlie rounding the corner and screeching to a halt. Ty and Sully jumped from the vehicle and quickly went over to the downed officers, firefighters and civilians.
Ambulances, fire trucks and police cars began swarming the area. "Sully! Over here," called Ty. Sully headed over in Ty's direction as he noticed the dark-colored car lying on its side up against one of the buildings. Ty and Sully drew their weapons and converged on the vehicle. They reached the vehicle and saw that it was empty - the driver had gotten away again.
Ty kicked the vehicle and turned to see Alex, Doc, Carlos and numerous other FDNY personnel working on their own people and on the civilians. They saw Doc covering the body of the dead officer as Lieutenant Swersky arrived on the scene.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC....
Sorry to leave it like that (not really), but I love a cliffhanger ;)
Chapter 6
It had been a routine shift for the medics, firefighters and police officers of the 55th Precinct. But then again, everyone knew that the hit and runs didn't occur during the daylight hours. It was getting later and everyone was beginning to be on a higher alert, looking twice before going around to the sides of the vehicles or near the street. They all felt safe at the start of a call - it was when the call had ended - usually an unfounded call - and they were returning to their vehicles that the trouble had started.
The fire department was out at a car accident with a small fire in the middle of 102nd and Lex. There were plenty of spectators watching because it was a beautiful late afternoon and the fire department always seemed to draw a crowd - more so after 9/11. Bosco had traffic closed down on the southside of the accident, parking his unit - 55-Edward - across the intersection, and Faith and Shore were working on the northside out of 55-David. They were each re-routing traffic to the streets around the scene. The crews were cleaning up their equipment.
Boy 55-3 had just left the scene with Doc and Alex to transport the driver of the car with minor injuries to Angel of Mercy. They had just rounded the corner away from the scene when a dark-colored, late model sedan came roaring around the corner nearly running into the side of them. If not for Alex's quick maneuvering they would have collided for sure. Thinking back, she would wish that she had not gotten out of the car's way for if the car hit the ambulance, Doc and Alex would have been somewhat protected by their vehicle and the horrible scene she was now looking at would not have happened.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As the car came around the corner it was headed straight for the side of the ambulance. Alex yelled back to Doc to hold on and swerved out of the way and slammed on the brakes. Everything seemed to go in slow motion and she saw the damage to the driver's side of the vehicle; the broken headlight, the dented fender and hood, the broken windshield. Kim being thrown through the air and landing on the roadway flashed through her mind and she reached for the radio as she realized that the car was headed right into the accident scene they had just left.
"Boy 55-5 to Central!" she screamed into the microphone. "Notify fire and PD at our call that the hit and run vehicle is heading in their direction at a high rate of speed. Tell them to get out of the way!" she finished as she threw the radio microphone on the seat, put the rig in park and jumped out to run back to the scene. "Alex, come back here!" yelled Doc, but she was already gone. He could only look out the back window of the bus and see her round the corner.
At the same time that Alex was heading back to the scene, the warning went out over the FDNY and NYPD radios. "Central to all units operating at 102nd and Lex. Boy 55-3 reports that suspected hit and run vehicle is coming in your direction at a high rate of speed. Use caution. Repeating. Suspect hit and run vehicle is heading in your direction. Clear the roadway."
Sully and Ty were just finishing up a shoplifter call and were returning to their unit when the announcement came over the radio. They quickly looked at each other, jumped in the RMP and headed off in the direction of 102nd and Lex.
As Alex was running back toward the accident scene, she heard tires screeching and people screaming. Then she heard a terrible crashing sound. She rounded the corner and pulled up short, taking in the awful scene in front of her. She froze momentarily, her brain unable to process what she was seeing. The sound of people calling for help brought her back to the moment and she began to move. She didn't have her portable radio with her, but she ran up to the first radio she could find. She reached down to the unmoving officer on the ground, unclipped the radio from the officer's shoulder, automatically checking for a pulse at the same time and feeling none.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sully and Ty were racing toward the scene along with multiple other units and the Lieutenant, who was responding from the station house.
"What the hell is this guy doing out in the daylight?" yelled Davis to Sully over the noise of their racing engine and siren.
"I don't know, Davis. But I wanna get this bastard! Did you hear who was handling that call?" he yelled back over to Ty.
Then they heard, "Central to 55-David and 55-Edward. What is your status?" There was no answer. "Central to 55-David and 55-Edward, Officers Yokas and Boscorelli. What is your status?" Still no response.
"Dammit!" exclaimed Sully and Davis at the same time as Sully pressed down further on the accelerator.
Finally there was a voice on the radio. "Central, this is Paramedic Alex Taylor. 10-13 Officer down," she said, alarm rising in her voice as she surveyed the scene. "Central! 10-13! We have multiple officers down. We have FDNY down and we have multiple civilians down! We need help here!"
"Central to Medic Taylor. Your message was received. Fire, EMS and PD is enroute," came the response from the dispatcher in a calm manner, trying to help Alex to calm down.
Alex looked back down at the officer, again feeling for a pulse and finding none. She checked for the severity of the injuries and determined that the officer could not be saved. She went on to the next injured person and heard Doc come up behind her. "Jesus! Alex are you okay?"
"Yeah, Doc. I'm fine, but look at this," she said, fighting to keep her composure. Doc looked over the scene and started to help Alex triage patients, telling the ones that weren't injured to help care for the least injured until more help arrived. They could hear a heavy onslaught of sirens rapidly approaching.
Alex and Doc heard a car come screeching around the corner and immediately feared the worst - thinking that the hit and run driver was coming back to do more damage. They looked up to see 55-Charlie rounding the corner and screeching to a halt. Ty and Sully jumped from the vehicle and quickly went over to the downed officers, firefighters and civilians.
Ambulances, fire trucks and police cars began swarming the area. "Sully! Over here," called Ty. Sully headed over in Ty's direction as he noticed the dark-colored car lying on its side up against one of the buildings. Ty and Sully drew their weapons and converged on the vehicle. They reached the vehicle and saw that it was empty - the driver had gotten away again.
Ty kicked the vehicle and turned to see Alex, Doc, Carlos and numerous other FDNY personnel working on their own people and on the civilians. They saw Doc covering the body of the dead officer as Lieutenant Swersky arrived on the scene.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TBC....
Sorry to leave it like that (not really), but I love a cliffhanger ;)