Bringing Crash Victim to Safety Was a Team Effort in Butler

The victim of South in Butler remains in critical condition at St. Joseph's Hospital, but had it not been for the collaboration of emergency responders from throughout the and other surrounding towns, the situation could have been worse.

A 23-year-old woman from West Milford, whose name has still not been released, was traveling through a green light on Morse Avenue across Route 23 when the driver of a Ford F-350, Robert McIntosh, allegedly ran a red light and collided with her Toyota Camry. McIntosh, who was un-injured in the crash, and the woman was airlifted to the hospital via helicopter.

Officials from the , , , and Riverdale Police Departments, the Morris County Prosecutor's Office, the Bloomingdale Fire Department, Chilton Hospital paramedics and the state Department of Transportation spent more than four hours assisting with the recovery of the victim, cleaning up after the accident, directing traffic and investigating the incident. The local collaboration immediately after the accident not only included emergency responders, but borough officials and the Butler school district as well.

The helicopter that transported the victim to the hospital landed on the field at the , which, without assistance from may not have been possible.

Butler police Capt. Ciro Chimento said the police department has worked out an arrangement with the school district for the school's field to be a designated landing zone. He said the district was prepared for the helicopter Tuesday and landing the helicopter without disruption to the students went smoothly.

"There is no student interaction where they would be placed in an area of jeopardy and the field is cleared with expedited speed," he said.

Superintendent of Schools Mario Cardinale credited the faculty and custodial staff at the Richard Butler School for assisting with the effort, in conjunction with those on the scene of the accident.

"The credit there really goes to the working relationship with the Richard Butler School faculty and administrative staff working with and following the lead of the first responders," he said.

Cardinale also praised the first responders throughout the borough for their work with this and other similar situations that they are faced with on a daily basis.

"The police department, the borough and all the other first responder organizations in (Butler) are really some of the finest people you're going to meet," he said, later adding, "These are just good solid people who give a lot to the community all the time."

From a personal perspective, Chimento said Tuesday's accident was one of the more difficult kinds of situations that police officers are faced with.

"Those type of calls are the most difficult to handle. Of course you retain those images in your head and it's difficult to separate them when you go home to your family. You think about your young children and when they start driving. (The victim) did absolutely nothing wrong," he said.

But Chimento said he can confidently say that the victim received the most rapid attention possible thanks to all of the responders on the scene.

"Everybody at the scene acted as a team and that's always our first priority. From the police officers down the the prosecutor's office down to the sheriff's department, it was one seamless act in which everybody performed up to speed," he said.