Off-duty FBI man saves local girl
Published on May 16th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - An off-duty FBI agent reportedly pulled a 16-year-old Stoneham High student back from the cusp of death last Thursday when he stumbled upon her bloodied frame lying lifeless in the middle of Route 28.
According to FBI agent Pete Bickmore, he was on his way to cool-off from Thursday's stuffy weather conditions with a Friendly's ice-cream cone when he turned onto Main Street from Spring Street at approximately 9 p.m.
The gaze of the Boston G-man, a twenty year veteran of the federal law enforcement community, was then immediately drawn to a small crowd in the roadway that had gathered around 16-year-old Cassie Stockbridge, who had been struck by a late model GMC Envoy just moments earlier.
"I went out and found the person had no vital signs. She had no pulse and a large loss of blood," recounted Bickmore, who described the SHS teen as bleeding significantly from her mouth and a large gash on her forehead.
"She was in pretty rough shape. I didn't think she was alive when I first got to her," furthered the FBI agent, who immediately sprung into action and administered CPR. "After a minute or so, I got her back. She became a little more responsive then."
Shortly after breathing life back into the SHS teen, Stoneham police and paramedics arrived on scene and transported Stockbridge to Mass General Hospital for treatment.
Local police had no information on the extent of the 16-year-old's injuries and calls to the Stockbridge family's Poplar Street home were not answered on Tuesday afternoon.
However, according to other published media accounts of the incident, Stockbridge suffered from multiple facial wounds to her nose, mouth, and forehead, as well as hip injuries from the point of impact with the vehicle.
According to Stoneham police, the driver of the GMC Envoy, a 24-year-old Malden man, will not likely face charges for his role in the pedestrian crash, as an initial investigation into the incident found no evidence of any traffic offenses. Reached on Tuesday afternoon, Acting Chief Lt. Rick McCarthy reported that current findings show that the SHS junior ran into the roadway and that the motorist attempted to swerve away from the adolescent. Speed is not considered a factor in the collision, and police continue to interview witnesses about last Thursday's frightening incident.
"At this time, there are no charges being filed against the operator. We are still investigating, but at this time, reports indicate that there was no moving violation," said McCarthy.
"They conducted some interviews, and we're still doing more, but right now we don't know why she ran out into the street," the Stoneham Police veteran added. Bickmore, who praised local safety officials for their own response to the crash, met with the SHS student at Mass General last Friday before she was discharged. He plans to stay in touch with the teen and her grateful family.
According to the former Scarboro, Maine police officer, a father of two adolescent daughters himself, he had administered CPR while on-duty before last Thursday, but neither of those prior acts proved as emotional and dramatic.
"That was actually the third time I've performed CPR, but never had I done anything like that," said Bickmore. "I'm just glad I could be in the right place at the right time."
Subscribe and get Home Delivery of The Independent
Save 36% off the newstand price — that's like 18 FREE issues!