Police officers, dispatchers lauded for saving man’s life

CROMWELL — Three police officers and a dispatcher have received commendations for their key roles in saving the life of a man trapped under a fallen tree.

The man and his brother were removing a 30-by-40-foot tall, 18-inchwide tree on a property off Coles Road when it fell on the man, Police Chief Denise Lamontagne said in outlining the incident.

The man was trapped by the tree and suffered “severe trauma,” she said.

The victim was pinned to the ground with his knees pressed up against his chest, making it increasingly difficult for him to breathe. The man’s brother was not injured and he was able to make “a frantic” 911 call, the chief said.

However, “the completely panicked caller” spoke a mix of Polish and broken English, Lamontagne wrote in a letter of commendation to Dispatcher Christine Cyr.

Despite that, Cyr was “able to determine the location and nature of the call.”

Cyr dispatched Officer Zachary Augenstein to the scene.

In a subsequent Citation for Meritorious Service to Augenstein, Lamontagne spells out in detail what happened next.

“You arrived and quickly assessed a way to assist the male who was crushed and pinned under the tree. Under extreme stress from the desperate situation, you and the victim’s brother were able to use a metal pole and a 2x4 to take enough pressure off of the victim to allow him to breathe,” Lamontagne wrote.

“Without regard to your own physical safety, you then used incredible strength and were able to hold the tree off the victim long enough to direct (the brother) to retrieve a cinder block to place under the tree.”

“Without regard to your own physical safety, you then used incredible strength and were able to hold the tree off the victim.” Police Chief Denise Lamontagne