TOWN OF SOUTHEAST – A resident of Southeast was critically injured Saturday when a backhoe he operated overturned and pinned the 77-year-old man to the ground.
The incident occurred at a residence on Old Route 6 near the Carmel Town line.
The victim, Roy Tompkins, was triaged and airlifted to the Westchester Medical Center and admitted.
A 911 call had sent emergency personnel to the scene around 3:30 p.m.
Putnam County Sheriff’s deputies were first to arrive followed by members of the Brewster Fire Department, Carmel Volunteer Ambulance Corps, paramedics from the EM STAR Ambulance Company and State Police.
The Brewster FD Rescue Squad used air bags to lift the backhoe allowing EMS personnel to remove the victim with the assistance of a backboard – a procedure that took 30 minutes to complete.
Due to the severity of the man’s injuries, a medivac helicopter was summoned which landed in the parking lot of the Bureau of Emergency Services Operation and Training Center.
Assisting at the scene were Putnam Battalion 2 and 16 Coordinators Ron Davies and George Wahlers, Putnam Deputy Commissioner of Emergency Services Robert Lipton, Brewster Assistant FD Chiefs Michael Bizzaro and Thomas Giambattisto, Carmel FD Assistant Chief Scott Efferen and a representative of the Putnam Bureau of Emergency Services.
