More than two dozen Pittsburgh paramedics were honored for their heroic efforts to rescue Jacinta Stevens from a submerged vehicle in the icy Monongahela River, despite the challenging conditions and frigid temperatures. The recognition took place inside the City-County building, acknowledging the medics who raced to the scene off duty and the divers who braved the frigid water to find Stevens.Gregory Tersine, a Pittsburgh paramedic and crew chief diver, was the first to enter the water, despite not being assigned to the river that day. “I was working a medic unit, and I responded from the streets. And, we responded. We found this vehicle that was in the water. We were directed over to it. I alerted the crews that were working river rescue that day to bring my dive gear because I planned on diving,” Tersine said.Tersine described how he watched the vehicle go subsurface and knew exactly where it was. He set up the operation on the sidewalk of the 10th Street Bridge and entered the 33-degree water covered with ice. Within about a minute, he found the car with Stevens inside, extricated her from the driver’s side door, and brought her to the surface, where paramedics on land tried to save her life. Despite their efforts, Stevens did not survive.Pittsburgh paramedic and union representative Jon Atkinson was at the City-County building when he heard the call come in and went to the scene. He highlighted the complexity of the operation. “This was a dive operation and a technical operation and a medical operation, all wrapped up into one in a very difficult environment with the location and the weather conditions that were going on at the time. So it was a really extraordinary effort by everybody involved,” Atkinson said.City officials emphasized that the paramedics deserved recognition for their efforts that January day. The roles each played were different, but their goal was the same: to save Stevens from the icy waters. Tersine recounted his experience, saying, “I went in through the ice, through an entry spot in the ice. I swam over; I found the car within probably about a minute or so. I was able to find the vehicle and located the victim, and through the driver’s door, I was able to open the door to extricate her from the driver’s side door, extricate her out of that door, and then brought her out. But due to the ice, when I came up, I came up on the bottom of the ice shelf, so I was now underneath the ice.”Tersine followed his rope to make his way out with Stevens, where paramedics on land continued their efforts to save her life. Despite Stevens not surviving, officials said the men and women honored risked their lives in frigid temperatures and extreme conditions to try to save her.Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube Channel
PITTSBURGH —
More than two dozen Pittsburgh paramedics were honored for their heroic efforts to rescue Jacinta Stevens from a submerged vehicle in the icy Monongahela River, despite the challenging conditions and frigid temperatures.
The recognition took place inside the City-County building, acknowledging the medics who raced to the scene off duty and the divers who braved the frigid water to find Stevens.
Gregory Tersine, a Pittsburgh paramedic and crew chief diver, was the first to enter the water, despite not being assigned to the river that day.
“I was working a medic unit, and I responded from the streets. And, we responded. We found this vehicle that was in the water. We were directed over to it. I alerted the crews that were working river rescue that day to bring my dive gear because I planned on diving,” Tersine said.
Tersine described how he watched the vehicle go subsurface and knew exactly where it was.
He set up the operation on the sidewalk of the 10th Street Bridge and entered the 33-degree water covered with ice. Within about a minute, he found the car with Stevens inside, extricated her from the driver’s side door, and brought her to the surface, where paramedics on land tried to save her life. Despite their efforts, Stevens did not survive.
Pittsburgh paramedic and union representative Jon Atkinson was at the City-County building when he heard the call come in and went to the scene. He highlighted the complexity of the operation.
“This was a dive operation and a technical operation and a medical operation, all wrapped up into one in a very difficult environment with the location and the weather conditions that were going on at the time. So it was a really extraordinary effort by everybody involved,” Atkinson said.
City officials emphasized that the paramedics deserved recognition for their efforts that January day. The roles each played were different, but their goal was the same: to save Stevens from the icy waters.
Tersine recounted his experience, saying, “I went in through the ice, through an entry spot in the ice. I swam over; I found the car within probably about a minute or so. I was able to find the vehicle and located the victim, and through the driver’s door, I was able to open the door to extricate her from the driver’s side door, extricate her out of that door, and then brought her out. But due to the ice, when I came up, I came up on the bottom of the ice shelf, so I was now underneath the ice.”
Tersine followed his rope to make his way out with Stevens, where paramedics on land continued their efforts to save her life. Despite Stevens not surviving, officials said the men and women honored risked their lives in frigid temperatures and extreme conditions to try to save her.
Looking for more news in your area | Subscribe to the WTAE YouTube Channel