# New York Trooper Awarded Carnegie Medal



## kwflatbed (Dec 29, 2004)

*PAUL PELUSO*
_Officer.com News_

The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission recently released its second group of Carnegie Medal awardees for 2006.

Each year the Pittsburgh-based philanthropic foundation recognizes close to a hundred people for their life-saving efforts. The latest list of names, announced May 11, consisted of 16 individuals, including one law enforcement officer.

Anthony S. LaRock, a New York State Tropper, was honored for a rescue he conducted while on duty in the spring of 2004.

Along with the medal, each recipient also receives a $4,000 grant. The latest announcement brings the number of individuals recognized for the award this year to 36 and to 8,997 since the award's inception in 1904. Founded by industrialist Andrew Carnegie, the fund has awarded $28.5 million in grants, scholarship aid, death benefits and continuing assistance.

"There was never recognition of man-on-the-street heroism" before the award, the commission's managing director, Douglas R. Chambers, said. "It happened all the time and went unrecognized. Carnegie wanted to recognize people that went above and beyond to help people."

In LaRock's case, it was just another day on the job.

He was dispatched to the scene of a double DWI accident in Lewistown, N.Y., the night of April 14, 2004. What he would find was an overturned Chevrolet Tracker in flames, entrapping three passengers.

LaRock said the fire started with a gas leak on the undercarriage, but quickly spread through the car's firewall. He started with driver, 35-year-old Kelly P. Chellino, by reaching trough the window, cutting his seatbelt, then dragging him to safety.

"By the time I got him just clear of the vehicle it went up," in flames he said.

He then went for Mary L. Sears, 21, who had been ejected from the vehicle and laid near the fiery wreckage. LaRock pulled her from the fire. At that point the SUV was engulfed in flames with one passenger remaining. He tried his best to quell the flames with a portable extinguisher to no avail. The victim died at the scene.

"You try so hard to save people," he said. "Then you have to watch things like the passenger that burned to death. It left a lot of bad memories."

LaRock said that till this day he can't watch movies that depict fatal crashes. "It just brings it all back," he said.

As the fire became uncontrollable, LaRock's partner, Danny Cullen, arrived at the scene and brought him away from overturned vehicle.

Both Chellino and Sears were taken to the hospital and both would survive. LaRock was hospitalized and treated for smoke inhalation and a wrist injury requiring surgery. He missed 10 months of work while recovering. The 13-year veteran would be back though, resuming duty February 2005.

While some heartache came from the incident, LaRock said a welcome surprise did as well. An avid boater, he was approached by Sears' father soon after the accident. He was pleased to find out that the man had a boat a few docks down from his at Lake Ontario.

"I didn't find out until afterward when he found me at the dock and almost tackled me," he said, adding that the three have since spent time together and have become good friends.

LaRock said that out of all he's been trough as a trooper, the accident call he received that spring night two years ago will always stand out.

"I've been involved in shootings, I've been shot at, I've been at other bad accidents," he said. "But this one for some reason got very personal."


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