I’m writing this to thank all of the kind, capable people who helped me after I fell and injured myself on the Stairway to Heaven trail at Wawayanda State Park.
My wife and I drove up last Saturday to see the fall colors and hike the trail. It was a perfect day, and many other people had come to enjoy the scenery too. On our way back down, I lost my footing and tumbled off the trail. My wife says I rolled down the steep, rocky hill, until I came to rest against a boulder. She says I was motionless and unresponsive for about two minutes. I am back home, walking and alert, thanks to the many people who acted quickly to help me. I wish I knew their names.
Here are the ones I can remember:
A hiker climbed down the hill and sat with me. I found him by my side when I came to. He patiently talked to me, and stayed close as I climbed back up to the trail.
People told my wife to call 911, but she was so rattled, she couldn’t remember where we were, and her hands were shaking. A woman named Mona called 911, gave them all the information they needed, and stayed on the phone with 911 until the EMTs arrived.
A few medical professionals happened to be hiking that afternoon: an OB-GYN, an internist, and a nurse. My head was bleeding, so they applied pressure and cleaned my wounds; a passing hiker donated iodine from her first aid kit, and the EMTs poured it over the cuts. (Ouch.)
Two women we had passed a few times on the trail stayed with us, in case we needed help.
A team of EMTs—Matt, Marissa, and Jeanette—took charge of me. Marissa held my hand as I walked slowly down the remaining stretch of rocks, while Jeanette held on from behind, with a cloth she tied around my belt loops.
An ATV was waiting for us on the flatter part of the trail. The terrain was rough, but the driver assured us that we wouldn’t tip over (despite appearances).
An ambulance and police cars were waiting at the staging area, an open field. A police officer named Jen drove my wife back to our car, so she could meet us at the hospital.
In the ambulance, the EMTs asked me questions, reported my condition to the emergency staff at the hospital, and started a saline drip. They also chatted with me about my work, and about guitars, keeping me distracted.
At the Newton Medical Center’s Emergency Department, Physician’s Assistant Christine Kalafut took charge of my care. Eric, a student completing his P.A. training, stayed with me for much of the time. Christine and Eric cleaned my wounds and injected Lidocaine; Eric stapled my head wounds closed and used sutures on my arm. The technicians who did my CT scans and X-rays were friendly and reassuring.
I’ll admit that sometimes I’m cynical about people. But we saw so much generosity and compassion that day, from so many different strangers, that it changed my assumptions about human nature. My wife says the same.
To everyone who helped us that day: thank you for all you did, and for reminding me that, despite what we see on the news, the world is full of good people.
Michael Laser
Montclair