Helped Save Injured Man
COs to the Rescue in Crash

By REUVEN BLAU

When veteran Correction Officers Ralph E. Smith and Ferlisha Murray saw a car accident on their way home on the Henry Hudson Parkway after work, they never thought about waiting for others to arrive before leaping into action.

The Chief-Leader/Reuven Blau HEROES ON THE HIGHWAY: Correction Officers Ralph Smith and Ferlisha Murray showed their mettle while off duty Nov. 21 when, responding separately after spotting a crash on the West Side Highway, they helped rescue a motorist who was trapped in his vehicle moments before the SUV exploded.

"It's like second nature," Officer Murray said last week recalling the Nov. 21 crash, which was allegedly caused by a drunken driver. "We are Correction Officers. When things happen, we just respond. It just comes natural."

Propelled Through Air

Traveling north on the West Side Highway at approximately 4 p.m., Mr. Smith saw a dark blue Ford Explorer in the south lane lose control after getting cut off by a weaving Taurus. The SUV went up an embankment near W. 92nd St. and flew roughly 20 feet, slamming into a light pole and crashing on its side, according to witnesses.

Mr. Smith, who was driving home from work by himself, ran to assist the man trapped inside the SUV. The veteran officer and several other Good Samaritans attempted to kick in the windshield to create an opening. "It didn't break quickly," Mr. Smith recalled. "I went back to my car and I got a big four-way lug wrench."

But the glass still wouldn't crack open, he said. "I'm making holes in it, but we're not really breaking the windshield," he remembered. While knocking the glass, he began to smell leaking gas and saw liquids dripping out of the car. "That's when I said, 'People, we've got to move faster!'''

Mr. Smith, who works for the department's communications division, said he never contemplated leaving the man in the car, despite the imminent danger. "I can't get out of here by myself," he remembered telling himself. "There is somebody in the car; we have to get him out."

One Dead in Other Car

Officer Murray was several cars behind her colleague. She first came upon the Taurus, which was carrying three passengers, one of whom was pronounced dead at the scene. With people already assisting those victims, she helped clear the area and moved uphill to help keep curious drivers away.

At the same time, Mr. Smith and a few other people frantically pried the SUV's rear hatch open and crawled up to the front seat, where the victim was held by his seat belt. "I'm trying to push him and pull him," Mr. Smith recalled, referring to the large passenger. "I cut him out. I pulled him out the door."

Several other drivers helped carry the man to safety, seconds before the SUV exploded. "This thing became a fireball as I'm carrying him further back," Officer Smith said.

He then began moving people away from the flaming car and opening a lane for emergency vehicles, while Officer Murray continued to direct traffic in the southbound road.

'Like Starsky and Hutch'

"It worked out good, like Starsky and Hutch," Mr. Smith said, noting that people responded to them because they were still partially in uniform and had their shields out. "It just became a question of handling one emergency after another until NYPD was able to step in."

According to authorities, the crash was caused by Michael Rush, who is in custody awaiting trial on charges of vehicular manslaughter and vehicular assault. His passenger, Nilta Pringle, 41, was killed in the accident, and her husband suffered neck and back wounds.

Both officers said the incident has helped them appreciate their families. "I had a great Thanksgiving," Mr. Smith said, noting that his wife has started calling him to check that he's safe and not "jumping in some more cars."

Mr. Murray said she initially thought her daughter or another family member was in the wrecked car. "That's running through my head as I'm running to the vehicle," she recalled. "If I had left [work] earlier ... it could have been me."