NEW YORK, NY (9 Sep 2004) -- On a frigid night in November, the Fire Department's elite unit Rescue 1 received a call that an SUV had plunged into the Hudson River at 133rd Street in Manhattan. As firefighters raced to the scene, Cosmo DiOrio donned his scuba gear in the speeding Rescue 1 truck. At the site, he was told the SUV's driver was still trapped in the vehicle. Without thinking twice, he dived into the dark and freezing water. "There was no visibility," the Staten Island firefighter said. "It was what we call 'black' water. I got lucky, though. When I went in, I almost landed on the car." In complete darkness, and operating solely by touch, DiOrio, 44, an FDNY dive instructor and 24-year veteran of the force, found the windows and started punching them out. Unlike in the movies, car doors can't be opened underwater due to the pressure. "It was an exceptional rescue," said Capt. Robert Morris, the commanding officer of Rescue 1, who nominated DiOrio for The Post's Liberty New York's Bravest Medal. Climbing into the car, DiOrio located the unconscious driver, a 250-pound man, who had floated into the back of the SUV. | | With time running out, DiOrio struggled and pulled the man out of the sunken vehicle. "I was exhausted as I started swimming with the victim to shore," he said. But as DiOrio began to weaken, another Rescue 1 diver helped him bring the driver to the river bank. The driver was taken to the hospital, but died later of his injuries. "Submerged cars like that one are rare in the city," said DiOrio. Even so, FDNY divers train many times with submerged cars under controlled conditions. "The strange thing was that I'd done so many rescue drills, I was very calm," DiOrio said. "My body just took over. It was like it was a reflex action." SOURCE - New York Post |
