NY Worker Honored For Saving Trapped Man After Car Falls Off Jack

PLAINVIEW, NY — A New York transportation worker has been honored for his quick-thinking on the Long Island Expressway that helped save the life of another man who became trapped underneath a car when a gust of wind blew the vehicle off a jack.

Anthony Beato, a truck supervisor with the state Department of Transportation's Highway Emergency Local Patrol, or HELP, saw a stranded vehicle on the eastbound shoulder of the expressway near exit 46 in Plainview, officials said. No one was with the car, but Beato, a Massapequa resident, circled back shortly thereafter.

And his decision proved to be a life-saver.

A black Honda was on a jack with a man working underneath and another standing next to the car. Shortly after Anthony got out of his truck, roadside wind from passing traffic pulled the car off the jack, trapping Ricardo Faciert underneath.

Beato, who has worked with the transportation department for nearly 25 years, raced to the HELP Truck, grabbed his own jack and immediately began lifting the car off as the other man, Edwin Lopez, pulled a motionless Ricardo out from under the vehicle. Beato then radioed to the transportation department's dispatch for help and gave Ricardo first aid treatment as his head bled.

Emergency responders arrived and continued treating Ricardo, who later spent three days in a hospital. Emergency responders and doctors agreed that Beato saved Ricardo's life.

Marie Therese Dominguez, the transportation department's commissioner, said Beato "personifies the incredible work ethic and professionalism of all the employees of the Department." She said she felt proud that his "instantaneous and selfless actions" helped save Faciert's life.

Dominguez presented Beato with the Recognition of Employee Excellence Award, the highest award in the department. Nassau County Executive Laura Curran also presented a citation to Beato.

"Thanks to Anthony’s quick thinking and heroic actions, a man’s life was undoubtedly saved," Curran said. "We thank New York’s HELP operators for not only proactively responding on that day, but every day whenever there are distressed and stranded drivers.

Patrick Ryder, commissioner of the Nassau County Police Department, said the combined efforts of the Beato, highway patrol officers, and Nassau Police medics resulted in an "extraordinary positive outcome."

"If it were not for the quick thinking and determination of all, this event could have had another outcome," he said.

The HELP program began in 1994 to increase safety and decrease congestion by clearing broken-down vehicles from active lanes of traffic. The roadside emergency service, which is free, is provided during peak travel times on portions of the Long Island Expressway, Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway, Meadowbrook, Northern, Sagtikos, Southern, and Wantagh State Parkways, as well as other regions in the state.