High praise for police and first aid squad

An incident that the citizens of our community should know about occurred recently on Amboy Avenue in Woodbridge. This is a small type of incident that happens and is forgotten every day. I believe that it is something that should not go unnoticed.

A lady was walking along Amboy Avenue and tripped and fell. It appeared that her knee was broken, with a bone protruding from her knee.

Within a few minutes, Woodbridge Police Officer Ray Smith and the Woodbridge First Aid Squad arrived. So far everything was normal. Now the part where it really goes to show just how good Officer Smith and the emergency responders are. I put Ray's name here because I know Ray's name but not the emergency responders' names. Sorry, team.

The lady didn't speak English, she spoke Polish. No one at the scene spoke Polish. Officer Smith, knowing his assigned area immediately, looked around and went to Vrtras Beauty Supply shop several hundred feet away. He asked John Vrtaric, the owner, if he spoke Polish. John said yes. John left his shop and went to assist with translating for Officer Smith.

It turned out that the injured lady was a caregiver for another older woman who was home alone. The injured lady was very worried about her patient and not herself.

Now comes the part where the Woodbridge emergency shines bright. The team immobilized her leg, and gently - and I mean gently - placed her in the ambulance, all the while comforting her and reassuring her that they would take care of everything.

In most case, the responding team would have just taken the injured lady to the hospital, but not this group. They went to the other lady's home and did what had to be done and took the injured lady to the hospital. Everything worked perfectly.

This small incident shows how we have excellent, well-trained, caring and compassionate people in our emergency departments. My congratulations to Officer Ray Smith, John Vrtaric and the entire Woodbridge Emergency Squad, especially this caring team.

Joseph F. Sica

Sewaren