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Watercraft riders critical after hitting LIRR bridge

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Two women are in critical condition after the personal watercraft they were riding in Reynolds Channel struck a metal stanchion on the Long Island Rail Road bridge on Monday.

Nassau County police said that incident occurred just after 7 p.m. in Island Park, when two women, ages 24 and 29, traveling east along the bay on a 2009 Yamaha WaveRunner, collided with the LIRR bridge’s southern section, just west of the Long Beach Bridge.

Both occupants were jolted from the vehicle and thrown into the water, unconscious, police said.

Police said that a man who was fishing with his son nearby witnessed the crash, and entered the water to help. A couple riding a personal watercraft in the area also rushed to the scene, and removed one of the women from the water and took her to shore.

Long Beach resident Erick Ramallo said that it was he and his wife, Alyson, who observed the aftermath of the collision as they were heading east along the channel on their personal watercraft. He said that the fisherman, Jose, swam over to the damaged vehicle but had grown tired and was calling for help.

“We heard some screaming … and he was hanging on the back of the Jet Ski calling us over,” said Ramallo. “We get to the guy and I asked him if he needed help and he screamed, ‘The girl, the girl.’ I looked to the left and saw a body floating face down in the water. She was unconscious.”

Ramallo, 31, described a physically taxing ordeal as he attempted to rescue the woman.

“I jumped off the Jet Ski … I get to her and flipped her over so her face was up and started squeezing her stomach and breathing into her mouth,” he said. “I brought her over to the [damaged] Jet Ski and put her on top. I told [Jose] to perform CPR. He was pushing her stomach and then he pointed out that there was another girl. She was a little more toward the middle of the bay.”

Ramallo said that he swam over to the other woman, while Alyson responded on the Jet Ski and, after several minutes, he managed to get the other victim on board the watercraft and brought her to shore, where paramedics had arrived.

“I got back on my Jet Ski to go help girl No. 1 with the guy, but she had fallen back in the water,” Ramallo said. “I had to jump back in the water again.”

Long Beach and other fire department units responded to the scene, along with a water rescue team that included a Jet Ski. The water rescue team assisted Ramallo, and brought the other woman to shore.

“They grabbed her from my arms and drove her in,” he said.

One of the victims was in respiratory distress and the other in cardiac arrest, officials said. Both were transported to South Nassau Communities Hospital’s emergency room in Long Beach. Officials did not identify the victims, and both remained in critical condition on Tuesday.

Police said that the investigation is ongoing and request anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 244-TIPS.

The incident happened less than an hour after lifeguards and firefighters rescued two swimmers who were in distress at Edwards Boulevard beach. One of the men was pronounced dead after he was rushed to Long Beach's emergency room.

Ramallo said that he was in the water for a total of 15 minutes trying to help both victims.

“My wife and I are constantly thinking about the two individuals and their families, and we’re hoping for a full recovery,” he said.