Heroic Radnor Cop Who Found Himself Near Double-Fatal Weekend Crash Recalls Moments of Horror
By Pat Loeb and Pat Ciarrocchi
RADNOR, Pa. (CBS) -- Sunday was a harrowing day on the region's roads, even for veteran police officers.
One Radnor Township officer today recalled the accident that killed two people on the Blue Route.
"The rain that was falling and the existing ground temperature was just a perfect storm," says police officer James Gallagher, who had just finished a night shift and was driving home when he saw a car crash into a wall near the Route 3 exit of Interstate 476.
He says he stopped to help and, boom, another vehicle hit the wall. Then, while assisting that motorist, he saw a tractor-trailer lose control.
"I was about a hundred yards away, watching it come toward me," he recalls.
Was it frightening?
"It was interesting," he says with pointed understatement.
The truck jackknifed. The car behind it shot under and came out the other side, its roof peeled off but its driver miraculously unharmed.
The next two cars wedged under the truck and the drivers were killed instantly, but Gallagher managed to extricate the passengers in one -- a mother and baby.
"All of a sudden I hear a series of bangs." said Gallagher. "And I look up and there's the tractor trailer sideways coming down the road. I see a silver car shoot underneath the trailer. And it's roof cut off."
At the same time, traveling home to Dover was 33-year-old Jason Anderson and his family.
Theirs became the second car, slamming into the tractor trailer, wedged underneath.
Gallagher went into triage mode.
"The operator wasn't responsive at all. There's a female passenger... she can hear me she can respond to me. She starts screaming about her baby. I was able to get the back door of the car open and there was a child in the car seat."
That driver was Anderson, Director of Ticket Sales at the Dover International Speedway. He was killed in the crash. His wife, Kati and their son, Ryan who was strapped into a car seat survived.
Officer Gallagher acted quickly to get the child to safety, using a knife to cut the straps holding the child safety seat in place.
"The baby looked ok. So, I decided to take the entire car seat out of the car and gave it a bystander. I had them take it to my car. My car is safe. It's on the other side of the accident. It's got heat. It's dry."
Officer Gallagher couldn't help thinking of his own three-year-old son. He said, some instincts and training just kick in.
Thomas Brennan of Lansdale -- the driver of the first car wedged under the tractor trailer also lost his life.
The Anderson family has set up a trust fund for Ryan.
Contributions can be sent in care of Jason's father:
Marc Anderson, 31959 Caneros Avenue, Lewes, Delaware 19958.
Visitation is set for Thursday and Friday at Torbert Funeral Home South, 1145 E. Lebanon Road, Dover with a Mass of Christian Burial on Friday at 2pm at Holy Cross Church, 631 S. State Street, Dover.
Gallagher was a transit officer for seven years and has been on the Radnor force for one year.
"I've never seen an accident quite that bad," he said today.
