By News Staff
NEW YORK — An FDNY EMT who was filling in for a colleague managed to save a man’s severed arm thanks to his quick thinking.
NY Post reported that Francis Jost responded to a call about a man whose arm was severed after he intentionally let himself get hit by a train, according to police.
“I heard the cop on the radio say, ‘No, I found the arm.’ Once I heard ‘limb’ on the radio, I thought ice, hospital, go!” Jost said.
Jost was able to quickly get ice because he knew of a nearby bar where he could get the supplies.
“I live in that neighborhood, so I know there is a bar next to the [Pleasant Plains] station, and I know how far the hospital is, so I requested a bag of ice,” he said.
The EMT said the patient was transported for treatment while first responders raced to get his arm from the tracks, pack it in a plastic bag filled with ice and get it to the hospital.
“We were freezing in the truck! We kept the windows open and the A/C blasting the whole ride,” Jost said. “When we got to [the hospital], we didn’t even wait for the ambulance to park. I jumped out and ran in pointing at the bag. They were calling for ice and one nurse looked in and said, ‘No, it’s iced already.’”
The man underwent surgery to reattach his arm, but his condition was unknown. Police said this is the third time he has intentionally let himself be struck by a train.