Off-duty Haddonfield Nurse helps to Save a Life in NY Cab Incident

August 23, 2013

By Brenda Zadjeika

Last Tuesday, Haddonfield resident, Amy Buttaro took the day off as a registered nurse to spend some quality time in NY city with her teen who leaves for college in a couple of weeks.  Mother and daughters’ checklist included a typical day of site seeing, shopping and lunch with a friend for lunch near Rockefeller Plaza.  As they reached their lunch destination just prior to noon, their plans suddenly changed.  The ongoing, methodical movement of the city had been derailed by tragedy, when a cabbie and a messenger on a bike allegedly had a power struggle in their race to get through the traffic. 

People stopped and watched in horror as the cab driver lost control into a crowd on the side walk.  Surroundings disappeared as she took her daughters’ hand and weaved in and out of the traffic to get to the accident, believing there were many casualties.  Throughout the ordeal, she remained torn over leaving her daughter and needing to help those who were hurt.  One of the victims was lying on the ground, her left leg permanently severed by the tires of the taxi cab.  Immediately, Amy helped triage the situation and called on the help of passers-by who dutifully carried out her direction.  It was an emotional and valiant orchestration of strangers, huddled together to help save a young adults leg, and life.  Amazing acts of kindness emerged as one man cradled the victims’ head in his hand to keep her face out of the branches she’d been pushed up against.  Another, held eye contact with the victim and spoke comforting words to keep the victim calm.  There were those frantically on their cell phones calling for emergency assistance.  

Before helping out, Amy made the conscious effort to make sure her daughter was in safe hands and as she scanned the crowd, there he was, a nearby security guard who just happened to be several yards from the accident.  “Don’t let her (her daughter) leave your sight” she pleaded and he agreed without question.  Recounting the story, when all was said and done, Amy said the incident felt like it went on for hours, when in reality, all were cleared from the scene in about 10 minutes.  The victim was secured and sent off to the hospital and the selfless, brave people who banded together disappeared, back into the city current, as if nothing had interrupted their seemingly normal daily routine, including Amy. 

When press reports came out about the tragedy, only a few of the rescuers could be identified but there was one person the media was looking for.  The nurse, who according to onlookers “took charge” of the tragedy.   It was Amy, who denounces notoriety and credits the others who courageously,  banned together to ease the suffering of ‘someone else’s child”.  In the end, she and the others just walked away silently.

Last Tuesday was the story of two daughters.  One, whose mother would worry for her safety from across the sea.  The other daughter, leaving for college to become a doctor someday, watching proudly as her mother helped to save a life.  Brought together unknowingly, in the same place at the same time,  people surrounding the both of them and demonstrating no boundaries to a parents’ love.