A Levittown “Hero” Acknowledged

On May 30, around 9:45 p.m LevittownNow Publisher -Editor Tom Sofield posted a message on the LevittownNow Facebook page about a vehicle accident involving an overturned car on New Falls Rd. just beyond five points in Levittown.

At the time, the only information available was a report of an accident involving an overturned vehicle on the always busy roadway. As with so many of the stories we publish, readers of the site our followers on Facebook, started to weigh in about the reported accident.

Often are best sources for stories are you the public. That principle, once again proved to be true that evening.

At 9:49 pm, this writer received a message from Kimberly -Gallagher -Barton about the accident. Barton is connected to the Sidewalks for New Falls Rd effort, and her husband Thomas, is very involved with the Bristol Township School District. Both are trusted sources of information.

Barton’s message, said essentially,  her friend Chris Roehm is the guy  that pulled  the kid out of the overturned car on New Falls Rd., we can put you in touch with him if you guys are looking to do story on about the accident. She called chris a “hero.”

For the last 12 days, through a number of contacts and sources we have attempted to gain additional information for the story. The day after the accident, Chris Roehm and his fiance Melissa Walsh met with LevittownNow to tell their story.

Roehm had just left football practice, with his semi pro team the Levittown Rebels  that  night.  He was tired, hungry, and happy his fiance  and young daughter were with him for the drive home.

As Walsh drove, the newly formed family headed down New Falls Road, they said. What they saw, they simply could not believe. A car a little ways up in front of them was is in full roll- going front over back about three times or more, Roehm said.

From that point forward, the defensive end for the Rebels who lists his hometown as Amsterdam, Netherlands, on Facebook as an inside joke with friends, did what he’s often done on a football field. React to the play in front of him. This time, however, the play involved helping a young man from an overturned car in the middle of New Falls Rd.

Roehm, as he explained to LevittownNow exclusively in the Oxford Valley Mall described in detail what it was like to pull the victim from his overturned vehicle.

“We had just left football practice, and we were on New Falls Road, just past five points going towards Pennsbury High School and maybe a 1/8 of a mile past the light at Five Points, when I saw this car basically doing flips front over back in front of us, then taking out a telephone pole too,” he said.

Roehm said to his fiance, “Baby, stop the car,”  and without thinking,  he ran towards to the accident to pull the “kid” out of the car.  Roehm said “he was conscious and I couldn’t believe it, because the car flipped so many times -I’d like to say 3-5 times but I’m not really sure but yea he was conscious,  Roehm, said. I don’t know how he is, but he looked real young, right babe?, he said to his love, who also saw the young man lying in the car.

“So as I’m helping him out of his seat-belt,  I’m asking the kid if there was anyone else with him, to make sure no one else is in the car  hurt. Once I saw the car was clear, I looked down and noticed leaking from the kids arm. A  kind of fluid, not blood, he said.

“I still had my football pants on. Reached in with my towel and wrapped his arm up, got him out and waited for the paramedics to arrive.”

Facebook exploded with comments about the accident and family members of the young man who was in the overturned car, thanked Roehm for his heroic effort repeatedly.

Kimberly Everk-Trojan, who identified herself as the aunt of the kid in the overturned car, posted “… by the grace of GOD and the kindness of strangers he is alive! My family appreciates all prayers.” Jay Bregenzer, who said the young man in the car was his cousin  “Ryan,”  is very thankful for what you done for him.

Levittown Rebels General Manager Rebecca Rodriguez, several days later said, that’s the kind of  Guy Chris is. Since we got him, he’s a changed man. He sees the bigger picture in regard to life, the Rebels organization gets to see and benefit from daily.

Roehm, as we were closing out the interview that evening in the mall’s food court. thought for a moment and said, “I’m not going to just let somebody lay there and die. It’s just the right thing to do in God’s eyes. At the time, my main concern was about the car blowing up. But the kid needed help, was I supposed to leave him there?” he asked out loud.

Christopher Reif , Chief of Operations Levittown-Fairless Hills Rescue Squad, said as a post script to the heroic efforts of Rohem:

“When a motor vehicle crash occurs the damage to the vehicle can appear to be tremendous, however the injuries to the occupant of the vehicle are often minor. Seatbelts and airbags save lives and crumple zones in cars allow for better distribution of the energy in a crash. Very rarely do we find an impact so great that the vehicle will catch on fire let alone explode as seen on television. If you are to come upon or witness a motor vehicle crash often, the “smoke” seen is from the airbag. This is not truly smoke but a powder from the airbag being deployed. The only time it is recommended to remove a person from a car after the crash is if fire is seen. Best advice if you are to find yourself at a car crash before EMS arrives is to call 9-1-1, remain with the injured, and only remove the patient from the car if you see fire.”

On that night, Roehm, choose to follow his football instincts by reacting to what he saw in front of him. For that, he’s been called a “hero.”

LevittownNow held back this story in the hopes that our attempts to speak with the injured driver and/or family members would prove successful. At this time we have been unsuccessful in obtaining public comment from “Ryan” or his family.

LevittownNow hopes he recovers fully from his undisclosed injuries.