New York Trooper Honored For Heroic Rescue

A local New York State Trooper is being honored for his bravery and heroism in saving a 14 year old girl who swam too close to the water intake tower at the Whitney Point Dam in July and was sucked in by the strong current.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers presented Trooper Donald Atkinson with a commendation for quickly getting into the water, in spite of the risk that he, too, could be sucked into the intake.

A Good Samaritan threw Trooper Atkinson a rope and he, along with Trooper Lawrence Gurdo were able to pull the girl to safety until a Whitney Point Fire Department boat arrived on the scene.

The girl was treated for minor injuries at Lourdes Hospital.

In presenting the award, Baltimore District Commander, Colonel Ed Chamberlayne repeated that dams can be very dangerous and people should stick to their recreation activities at the reservoir to the properly designated public areas.

For his part, Trooper Atkinson told reporters he was just doing his job, as any other member of law enforcement or first responders would do.