Saving a life in Rockville Centre

When her father slipped and fell, suffering a blow to his head that knocked him unconscious, 9-year-old Megan Tierney did not panic. She made her way to the nearest phone, dialed 911 and calmly explained the situation.

By doing so, she saved her father’s life.

Rockville Centre Mayor Francis Murray and village trustees recognized Megan at the village board meeting on Monday night, declaring Jan. 9 “Megan Tierney Day.”

Peter Tierney had picked up his daughter, a fourth-grader at St. Agnes Cathedral School, at a bus stop on Oct. 14 and, holding Megan’s heavy backpack in one hand and their dog’s leash in the other, he began walking with her back to their home.

As he climbed up the front stoop, Tierney became entangled in the family’s Halloween spider-web decorations and fell backward, striking his head on the pavement.

“I was out cold,” he recounted. “It was a concussion, and I had to have 20 sutures. I was very lucky there was no bleeding in the brain.”

According to his wife, Marilyn — who was at work at a school in Garden City at the time — paramedics said that Peter stopped breathing for a short time after he fell.

But rather than succumb to panic at the sight of her unconscious father, Megan remained cool while making the emergency call. “The way she conveyed what was going on was very clear and concise, and because of her, we were able to save the guy’s life,” said Lt. Jim Vafeades of the village Police Department. “The fire chief said if she hadn’t called us, [her father] probably wouldn’t have made it.”

RVC Police Commissioner Charles Gennario explained that emergency calls can be confusing and scary, and, after replaying the recording of Megan’s call, he commended her for her actions. “Let me just say, we get heroes of all types, usually wearing blue for the fire service, the police service, the green of the U.S. military,” Gennario said. “As you can see, a hero tonight is dressed a little differently. What Megan did was a tremendous, tremendous feat.”

“I felt calm, but I was also really worried at the same time,” Megan recalled. “I was just hoping that my dad was going to be OK.”

Marilyn Tierney added that she wasn’t surprised by her daughter’s actions or her ability to stay rational. “She’s always been mature and responsible in difficult situations …,” Marilyn said. “We’re just so proud of her and the way she handled herself, and I couldn’t have asked her to do anything more. She did everything an adult would have done.”

After the ambulance arrived, Megan remained with neighbors across the street, while Marilyn drove straight from work to South Nassau Communities Hospital, where her husband was treated.

“I feel proud to be recognized for my courage and for what I did to help my dad,” Megan said after the board meeting. “I’m just glad that he’s better.”