Local heroes earn citation

Two Elmont Memorial High School students were small town heroes to their friends and neighbors earlier this month after a downed tree threatened to cause a serious accident.

On Saturday, Oct. 10, Patrick LaRoque and Qusarn Caldwell left a friend’s house and walked right into a stiff windstorm on Wellington Road. With wind speeds that day recorded as high as 40 miles per hour, it was only a matter of time before a problem developed. Luckily, LaRoque and Caldwell happened to be walking down the street just in the nick of time.

The two students happened across a group of trees that had been blown over in the storm and had fallen across the road. Not only had they blocked traffic, but they also took down power lines in the area.

Front lawns and driveways, as well as the street surface, had been littered with splintered wood and branches, and the power lines were partially hidden from view by the huge trees. Any unsuspecting person could easily have wandered or driven into serious injury.

“When we saw the trees, we couldn’t believe how big they were. [They were] blocking the road and on people’s property,” Caldwell said. “Cars coming down the street wouldn’t have seen the trees and there would have been a serious accident.”

With community members still slow to respond, the young men sprung quickly into action, calling the police and acting as impromptu traffic cops to help drivers steer clear of the mess on the roads.

“We called the police right away using our cell phones,” LaRoque added, saying that local officers responded to tackle the trees and the power lines quickly once they had been called.

Before officers arrived, however, the two students helped direct foot and automobile traffic in the area around the trees and downed power lines, likely preventing an accident in dark conditions.

“The wind was really rough. Branches were everywhere and you couldn’t you see the tree in the road. A car could have hit it directly and the driver would never have really known,” Caldwell said. “That’s why we directed the traffic and had people stay away from it.”

Thanks to their quick thinking and bravery, residents on Wellington Road had their power restored and their roads cleared quickly, all without serious incident. While the effort was altruistic, Caldwell and LaRoque were recognized just a day later.

On Columbus Day, local Assemblyman Tom Alfano awarded LaRoque and Caldwell with New York State Assembly citations.

“Patrick and Qusarn are not only to be commended for what they’ve done today, but they are a shining example of our young people in Elmont getting involved when they’re needed and are not looking for the pat on the back,” Alfano said. “They did it because it was the right thing to do.”