Great Neck resident Leor Fidler, 19, was miraculously rescued by the Manhasset-Lakeville Fire Department from a burning 2001 Mercedes Benz that caught fire after he veered off the road in University Gardens and struck a tree Wednesday, Oct. 5 at 10:15 p.m.
Fidler is expected to make a full recovery despite an estimated crash speed of 70 miles per hour.
The investigation is closed and no criminality is suspected, according to Nassau County Police Department detectives.
“I’m good now,” said Fidler, in a telephone interview Oct. 12 from North Shore University Hospital. “I have my last two surgeries today. I’m probably going to have to stay in the hospital for a few days, just to continue my recovery.”
Fidler suffered multiple broken bones, including legs, ribs, and pelvis, and a punctured lung.
“You can’t get much worse than this and still have the driver live,” said Manhasset-Lakeville’s Chief of Department James Dillon. “I’ve obviously seen a lot worse, but never without fatalities.”
First on scene was ambulance unit captain Lee Genser, followed “virtually simultaneously” by Deputy Chief James Pitzer, who both protected the driver and “kept the fire at bay” with the aid of fire extinguishers until the rest of the department arrived.
“We actually filled up buckets of water from a neighbor’s hose and put it on the car,” Genser said.
Still trapped inside the burning wreck, Fidler was treated for a flailed chest, a life threatening medical condition resulting from multiple rib fractures, while fire fighters worked to extinguish the flames and others “peeled the car away.”
“He was pretty seriously injured, but fortunately we were able to make a difference,” Genser said.
A Towson University student, Fidler was home for the holidays when the accident occurred. Although he does not remember what happened, he said he had been on the way to his friend’s house. With a broken leg and collar bone, he is going to take a semester off before returning to school.
“I’ve had a lot of family and friends come and visit me, and they’ve just been flooding me with love,” he said. “I can’t really get enough of it. I love it so much.”
Fidler said he feels lucky to have pulled through so quickly, and thanked his rescuers.
“I’d like to say thank you very much, and I thank God every second of my life for giving me a second chance to be here,” he said.
Any fire response is controlled chaos, with volunteers from the department training constantly, Dillon said.
“You look for any nook and cranny you can find to get [into the car],” he said. “They did a spectacular job.”
Dillon said it took approximately 20-25 minutes to get the victim onto a stretcher, and another 11 minutes to get him to the emergency room.
“It’s a double-edged sword,” Dillon said. “It might have helped that he was in a Mercedes and it is doesn’t fall apart, but then it was hard to peel apart.”
Also assisting was the Nassau County Police Department, which shut down intersections, assisted with the extrication, and provided an escort for the ambulance. The accident occurred near the intersection of Merrivale Road and Dorset Road.
“Unfortunately, I can imagine the sound of a car hitting a tree at 70 miles an hour,” Dillon said. “The bottom line is, the kid’s going to make it, and that’s the important thing.”
What did Fidler learn?
“Definitely not to drive so quickly,” he said. “Even though sometimes it might seem like you’re in a rush, the extra five minutes doesn’t hurt you.”
