James Laboke, a Sudanese refugee living in Old Orchard Beach, saw the car stalled on the tracks while walking to work at the Eezy Breezy around 6 a.m. According to Laboke, the man remained unconscious even after he repeatedly pounded on the window. The doors to the vehicle were locked and the engine was still running.
Laboke then ran 100 yards to the police station and informed the authorities.
"I never thought about it. I just knew I couldn't let that man get crushed by a train," Laboke said.
Janet Paradiso, a captain of the town police force, arrived on the scene after hearing the call over the radio. After hearing the whistle of an approaching train, she rammed her cruiser into the 1987 Cadillac to push it off the tracks not more than thirty seconds before the train passed.
"I knew there was no time," says Paradiso. "I had to do something."
The man in the stranded Cadillac was Francois Truffaut, 80, of Quebec City. Truffaut has been coming to Old Orchard Beach since he was a child.
"I don't remember a thing," Truffaut said.
The police report said Truffaut, a diabetic, may have gone into insulin shock when he reached the railroad crossing.
Truffaut was taken to the Southern Maine Medical Center after the incident. He was listed in stable condition.
After reporting the incident, Laboke arrived to work on time, without mentioning anything to his boss.
"It doesn't surprise me at all. That young man is one of my most responsible employees," says Charles Champaigne, Laboke's boss. "He's just a great kid."
No comments:
Post a Comment