It was a regular Tuesday afternoon when Lasaros Milian, a 24-year-old Syracuse resident, found himself in an extraordinary situation. As he sat in the passenger seat of his coworker’s car, enjoying his lunch-time burrito, he witnessed an SUV careening off the road and into a retention pond near a Friendly’s restaurant on Route 31 in Clay, New York.
Without hesitation, Milian rushed to the pond and plunged into the freezing water. He was soon joined by Tom Drumm, 31, of Oswego, who had also witnessed the accident. Together, they swam to the submerged SUV and found the trapped driver, an elderly woman with mobility issues. The car’s window was down, but the door was jammed shut against the weight of the water.
Milian and Drumm worked frantically to pry open the door, finally succeeding after a tense struggle. As they did so, water began to fill the car, causing it to sink rapidly. Milian swiftly lifted the woman out of the vehicle and carried her back to land, while Drumm checked for any other passengers or pets inside the car.
The rescued woman was transported to Upstate University Hospital for evaluation, while Milian and Drumm received praise for their heroic actions. Moyers Corners Fire Department Deputy Chief Steve Dembowski confirmed that the bystanders had played a crucial role in saving the woman’s life.
Despite the adrenaline-fueled rescue, Milian remained humble, stating that he had simply done what he felt was right. “I just wanted to help her,” he said. “It was the right thing to do.”
