Longtime EMT 'Angel' Finds Man In Crashed Car, Gets Help

SUFFOLK COUNTY, NY — A caring, longtime EMT is now an "angel" in the eyes of a grateful father after she saw his son's crashed car on the roadway Tuesday morning and stopped to help.

"I was driving to work this morning and saw taillights in the woods," Melissa Messina said, adding that she was on Nichols Road in Holtsville. Messina, who lives in Bayport now but was a Riverhead resident for years, said she backed up her vehicle, thinking maybe it was a crash that had already been cleared.

"When I looked into the ditch, I saw a young man in the driver's seat," she said.

Suffolk County Police Sixth Precinct officers said they responded to a crash in Holtsville on Tuesday at 8:05 a.m. A person was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

When she saw the young man, Messina said: "Full EMT/mom mode went into effect."

Right away, Messina sprang into action. "Being a trained New York State EMT, I knew I needed to get to him and do a quick assessment, but most of all I had to keep him talking. I climbed onto the trunk of the car and was able to lean into the shattered sunroof, and to ask him his name and his age."

Then she called 911, told them the location, and waited with him until the police, ambulance and fire department arrived.

"I asked him if I could call someone for him, and he was able to give me his dad's cell number," she said.

She called the man's father with a message no one ever wants to convey.

"His dad called me back, and my heart broke, telling him his son was in a car accident. Saying prayers for this 20-year-old young man today," she said.

Another driver, a high school teacher on his way to work, saw Messina running to the car and also pulled over to help. "He was able to pull the passenger door open to let the young man know we were with him and would stay until he was removed from the vehicle. We watched as the jaws of life cut him from the car."

Later, Messina said the father sent her an update, explaining that while his son was injured, he is expected to recover. "Thanks for being an angel," he wrote. "I'm so glad you took the time to tell me and really care."

The experience was emotional, Messina said. "I actually cried after I spoke with his father over the phone. I just kept thinking, 'He’s my own kids' age' — and I couldn’t imagine the fear getting that call. I just wanted to know he was okay."

She added, "I have no words."

Messina, who works at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead, said she is eternally grateful that she was there at the right time.

"I’m relieved that he’s going to be okay," she said. "This is what I was trained to do. I’d do it for anyone."

Even on a daily basis, Messina has a caring heart for everyone she encounters. "I love helping people," she said. "I love being there for people who just need a kind smile or a hug."