Life-Saving Melrose Detective Honored For Efforts

MELROSE, MA — A veteran Melrose Police officer was honored this past weekend for saving several lives following a serious 2017 crash in Dracut. Chief Michael Lyle said Detective Gregory Forestell received the the Irish American Police Officers Association of Massachusetts Lifesaving Award Saturday evening at the Malden Irish American Club.

On the morning of Sept. 16, 2017, Forestell was driving home from a detail shift in Melrose when he came across a multiple-vehicle crash in Dracut in which a dump truck rolled over.

Forestell left his vehicle and asked someone to call 911 while he approached the now-engulfed dump truck. Forestell and another passerby climbed onto the truck and pulled the injured driver of the truck out out of the car and away from the flames.

Forestell got a fire extinguisher from his vehicle and attempted to put out the truck's fire when he saw another vehicle in the crash had two injured passengers. He and other bystanders helped out until Dracut Police and Fire arrived.

Courtesy photo

Left-to-right: IAPOA Second Vice President Det./Lt. James Pierce (Winchester PD, Ret.), IAPOA Assistant Treasurer Ned Shinnick (Lynn PD), Melrose Police Detective Gregory Forestell, IAPOA Sergeant at Arms Paul Westlund (Lincoln PD), IAPOA President Robert Sweetland (Quincy PD), Melrose Police Chief Michael L. Lyle, IAPOA Treasurer Danielle Collins (BUPD), Secretary Donnalyn Sullivan (Middlesex Sheriff's Office Ret.) and IAPOA First Vice President Paul Upton (Somerville PD Ret.) during the awards presentation on Saturday evening. (Courtesy Photo/John Guilfoil Public Relations)